ACU hosts #19 TCU Tuesday night at The Crutch

ABILENE – After a three-game sweep of SFA this past weekend, the ACU baseball team plays its fifth of eight games this season against a power five team, when it welcomes in the No. 19 TCU Horned Frogs of the Big 12. It is the fifth trip to the Big Country for TCU (14-5, 2-1 Big 12), when they take on the Wildcats (11-8, 4-2 WAC), who go for their longest winning streak of the season. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. Tuesday night at Crutcher Scott Field, and the game will air on ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TCU

• ALL-TIME | 10th meeting (TCU leads, 8-1)
• LAST MEETING | TCU 14, ACU 4 (Feb. 18, 2020 - Fort Worth, Texas)
• STREAK | TCU, w4
• IN ABILENE | TCU leads, 4-0
• IN WACO | TCU leads, 4-1
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

THE PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP

ACU RHP Riley Bauman (0-1, 18.00 ERA) vs. TCU RHP Caedmon Parker (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

ACU STORYLINES

• SFA SWEEP – ACU swept SFA for its first WAC series win and first WAC sweep of the season, topping the Lumberjacks by finals of 11-1, 12-8, and 11-6 at Cruther Scott Field. The offense got back on track, tallying 34 runs on 42 hits. ACU won via the run-rule, 11-1, in eight innings, to open the series on Friday, and then held multiple leads before pulling away 12-8 on Saturday. ACU trailed 3-0 early on Sunday, but by the third inning had grabbed the lead before pulling away 11-6. It is the third sweep at home this season for the 'Cats, after doing the same to Michigan State and Marist.
• WEEKEND SLUGFEST – We mentioned the 34 runs and 42 hits. ACU hit .382 for the weekend, slugged .609, and tallied 33 RBI as a team. Miller Ladusau hit .615 for the weekend, including driving in three and hitting a double. Bryson Hill had a weekend, hititng .600 with a homer and a double. Brett Hammit hit .556 with two doubles, two homers, and five driven in. Grayson Tatrow hit .455 with five hits, a homer, and three driven in. Tatrow also walked four times for a .600 OBP. Colton Eager drove in a team-high six this weekend, and hit .429 in three games.
• TEAM RANKINGS THIS SEASON
  • - Strikeouts Per Nine Innings - 11.0 (1st WAC, 18th NCAA)
  • Home Runs - 27 (1st WAC, 35th NCAA)
  • Scoring Average - 7.6 (1st WAC, 58th NCAA)
  • Hit by Pitch - 33 (2nd WAC, 28th NCAA)
  • Slugging Percentage - .495 (2nd WAC, 37th NCAA)
  • On Base Percentage - .400 (2nd WAC, 56th NCAA)
  • Hits - 201 (3rd WAC, 42nd NCAA)
  • Runs - 144 (3rd WAC, 62nd NCAA)
  • Batting Average - .303 (4th WAC, 42nd NCAA)
  • Doubles - 39 (4th WAC, 64th NCAA)
• SELLING OUT ON THE MOUND – Right hander Carter Sells was great again out of the bullpen this weekend. Sells went 3.2 innings to earn his first career win at ACU against SFA. Sells did not give up a hit or a run, and struck out a pair of batters in the outing. This season, Sells has a miniscule 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings. He has one save, has allowed just one earned run on three total hits, and has struck out 11.
• THE CLOSER – Closer Tanner Riley is having another phenomenal season. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA in five appearances, totaling 10.1 innings. He's allowed one earned on eight tota hits with 15 strikeouts. It was more of the same over the weekend, earning a win against SFA in thre einnings of work out of the 'pen, pitching a scoreless outing on just one hit with four strikeouts.
• 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 opened 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 #19 TCU (14-5, 2-1 BIG 12)

• The Horned Frogs are coming off of a series win against Baylor to open Big 12 play last weekend in Waco. TCU took the opener, 3-0, before winning an extra-inning affair, 11-9, in game two on Saturday. Baylor topped TCU 7-3 in the finale on Sunday to close the weekend.
• TCU is top 100 in team ERA in the country at 4.52, and with a team that fields well at .978 total (35th NCAA), it is a tough unit to score runs on.
• At the plate, TCU is patient. The Horned Frogs have drawn 121 walks this season, the ninth-most in college baseball. Brayden Taylor and Tommy Sacco lead the way with a .353 average. TCU has 53 extra-base hits this season, including 13 home runs.

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#ATO | #GoWildcats