Baseball America picks ACU as WAC title favorite
2/5/2022 10:30:00 AM | Baseball
ABILENE – Baseball America writer Joe Healey released the preseason write-up for the Western Athletic Conference on Friday, and the article selected ACU as the preseason favorite in the league. The article also stated that any preseason player of the year award should look at ACU's hitters first, including Mitchell Dickson and Colton Eager.
When acknowledging who the conference title favorite is, Baseball America looked towards west Texas.
"The answer here is a team that won a conference title last season, but not the WAC title. Rather, it's Abilene Christian, which won the Southland regular-season title last season by three games."
The release talks about the program with a lineup that hit .297 / .397 / .457 last year, and the individual leaders including Dickson (.383 / .465 / .495), Eager (.342 / .421 / .604), Tommy Cruz (.335 / .452 / .421), Grayson Tatrow (.325 / .421 / .560), and Miller Ladusau (.322 / .383 / .494).
"In mid-major leagues, older teams tend to win big, and ACU fits that bill. But on top of that, the Wildcats' older players are proven and talented, and they already have the experience of winning a conference title under their belts That's a recipe for a preseason favorite."
The article also dissected the new-look WAC, talking about the West and Southwest Divisions, respectively. ACU is in the southwest division, which consists of solely Texas teams, including the four newcomers from the Southland.
“Newcomer Abilene Christian looks the part of the conference title favorite, but it's less clear where the other three new programs will slot in during their first season in the WAC.”
As for the favorites to win player of the year?
"A good place to start when looking for favorites is any number of Abilene Christian hitters, including catcher Mitchell Dickson and right fielder Colton Eager, both of whom had massive seasons in 2021."
And finally, Baseball America discussed future draft prospects from the conference. It is a loaded league with a plethora of talent in 2022, and ACU had a pair of players land on the Top Prospects list.
Top 2022 Draft Prospects
1. Eli Saul, RHP, Sacramento State
2. Josh Ekness, RHP, Lamar
3. CJ Culpepper, RHP, California Baptist
4. Breck Eichelberger, RHP, Abilene Christian
5. Jorge Bojorquez, 2B, Sacramento State
6. Grayson Tatrow, OF, Abilene Christian
7. Josh Rolling, OF, Sacramento State
8. Kaden Hollow, C, Dixie State
9. Brandon Dieter, SS/RHP, New Mexico State
10 .Chad Castillo, OF, California Baptist
The WAC is a spectacular baseball league, and ACU is right in the thick of the preseason favorites. The transformation of hte ACU program from fourth-year head coach Rick McCarty is unlike any other in the country. Now the focus shifts from hunting everyone down to being one of the hunted. The Wildcats are now a team to be reckon with consistently, and changing leagues doesn't change that. ACU is now a program people know at this level, and the nationwide writers think highly of this Wildcat program.
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