ACU and Michigan State get together Sunday and Monday

ABILENE – After a wintery week in west Texas, the ACU baseball team will indeed take the field this weekend at home when it welcomes in the Big Ten's Michigan State for an abbreviated three-game series. The Wildcats (1-3) take on the Spartans (3-1) for three games. Friday's game was canceled due to weather and travel, and Saturday's game was moved due to cold temperatures. All three games will air on the WAC Digital Network, with Sunday's doubleheader also airing on 102.7 The Bear.

UPDATE AS OF FRIDAY, FEB. 25 at 1:45 PM CT - The teams will now play a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m., and will now play on Monday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. Saturday night's game at 5 p.m. has been canceled.

FOLLOW THE SERIES

SERIES HISTORY

Michigan State leads the series 4-0 all-time, sweeping a four-gamer from ACU back in 2017. It is the second time the teams will get together, again in Abilene. That series opened the 2017 campaign, and the Wildcats fell in all four matchups despite scoring 21 total runs for the weekend.

THE PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1: RHP Tyler Morgan (0-0, 7.36 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Iverson (0-0, 2.25 ERA)

Game 2: RHP Breck Eichelberger (0-1, 10.38 ERA) vs. LHP Nick Powers (0-0, 2.25 ERA)

Game 3: LHP Adam Stephenson (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Szczepaniak (1-0, 3.60 ERA)

ACU STORYLINES

• OPENING WEEKEND
  • ACU opened up the year with North Dakota State last weekend, and dropped the final three games after winning Friday night's matchup on Opening Day. The 'Cats scored 16 runs on 33 hits for the weekend, and drove in 15 with three home runs and five doubles.
• OFFENSIVE LEADERS
  • Miller Ladusau leads the way with a .400 average through the season's first four games. The sophomore tallied a pair of doubles and scored three times in three games against NDSU. Grayson Tatrow, Colton Eager, Tommy Cruz, and Aaron Staehely all hit .333 last weekend. Tatrow leads the way with four driven in and nine total bases, and cracked a home run in Sunday's finale. Tatrow, Brett Hammit, and Bryson Hill have the three homers so far this season.
• WHO'S BACK?
  • ACU returns 26 players from the championship roster from a year ago, including all nine starters in the batting order.
• PRESEASON POLLS
  • ACU was picked to win the WAC's southwest division, and Colton Eager was named the preseason player of the year in the league. Grayson Tatrow and Tommy Cruz were also selected to the preseason all-WAC team. Eager was the Southland Conference hitter of the year last season, while Tatrow was the newcomer of the year in 2021. Cruz earned third team all-conference honors last spring.
• WELCOME HOME
  • ACU opens with 11 of their first 12 games at the friendly confines of Crutcher Scott Field. The schedule includes midweek games with Air Force, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, as well as future WAC opponents UIW and UT Arlington.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE (3-1)

• Michigan State takes a 3-1 record into the weekend, coming off winning the season-opening weekend series at UNLV. The Spartans dropped the opener, 4-2, but then bounced back to sweep Saturday's doubleheader, 10-6 and 12-6, before capturing the series with Sunday's 11-7 Victory for MSU.
• Sparty is hitting .333 as a team with 35 runs scored in four games. The team hit eight home runs, seven doubles, and a pair of triples, while knocking in 33 of the 35 runs scored.
• Casey Mayes leads the way with a .500 batting average with nine hits including each a double, triple, and homer.
• Sophomore infielders Trent Farquhar and Mitch Jebb were joined by junior outfielder Zaid Walker in earning preseason all-Big Ten honors.

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