ACU welcomes Tarleton to The Crutch

ABILENE – ACU baseball returns home this weekend for a three-game series against a former, and now once again, a conference rival. The Wildcats (11-9, 4-2 WAC) take on former Division II Lone Star Conference rival and current WAC rival Tarleton (7-12, 3-3 WAC) at Crutcher Scott Field. It is a three-game series that opens up on Friday, March 25 at 6:05 p.m. Saturday's game begins at 3:05 p.m., and Sunday's finale is slated for 1:05 p.m. All three games air on ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TARLETON

• ALL-TIME | ACU leads, 81-65
• LAST MEETING | TAR 10, ACU 4 (2021 - Stephenville)
• STREAK | TAR, w1
• IN ABILENE | TAR leads, 7-6 (Since 2009)
• IN STEPHENVILLE | TAR leads, 7-5 (Since 2009)

THE PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY | ACU RHP Tyler Morgan (3-0, 2.74 ERA) vs. TAR RHP Luke Baley (1-1, 5.79 ERA)
SATURDAY I ACU RHP Breck Eichelberger (2-2, 4.05 ERA) vs. TAR RHP Riley Boyd (0-2, 5.00 ERA)
SUNDAY | ACU TBD vs. TAR RHP Bryce Hackett (1-3, 5.96 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 TARLETON (7-12, 3-3 WAC)

• The Texans are coming off a sweep at home over UTRGV last weekend, outscoring the Vaqueros 29-12 in three games, including a 13-3 thumping in eight innings in the finale last Sunday.
• Tarleton has 58 extra base hits this season, including 33 doubles, four triples, and 21 homers, for a slugging percentage of .424.
• The pitching staff has a cumulative 6.40 ERA, and has allowed a .294 batting average to its opponents.
• Offensively, Carter Dobrinski leads the way with a .352 average and 14 RBI, and is slugging a team-high .592.

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