ACU and GCU play for a spot in the title game

MESA, ARIZ. – The ACU baseball, after dropping the first game of this WAC Tournament on Wednesday, has rattled off three-straight wins to get to the semifinal round on Saturday, May 28. The Wildcats (29-28) are set for the rubber match this week against top-seeded Grand Canyon. The winner advances to the championship game against New Mexico State on Saturday evening. ACU has beaten Seattle U, Lamar, and GCU to earn the rematch with the Lopes in the semifinal round. The game gets underway at 3 p.m. CT (1 p.m. PT), and if ACU wins, they advance to the title game at 8 p.m. CT (6 p.m. PT) at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics. Both games will air on ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GRAND CANYON

• ALL-TIME | 4th meeting (ACU leads, 2-1)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 6, GCU 5 (May 27, 2022 - Mesa, Ariz.)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | ACU leads, 1-0
• IN PHOENIX | n/a
• NEUTRAL | Tied, 1-1
• POSTSEASON | Tied, 1-1

ACU STORYLINES

• WALK-OFF WIN – Tommy Cruz singled up the middle in the bottom of the ninth late in the early hours of Saturday to top Grand Canyon, 6-5, to send the 'Cats to the semifinal round. The Wildcats and Lopes were tied multiple times throughout the night, but it was Cruz who delivered late to keep ACU alive in the WAC Tournament, and advance them to the semifinal round on Saturday, where they will match up with GCU for a third time this week.
• HISTORIC GEM – Senior right-hander Genner Cervantes tossed a complete game in the tournament win over Seattle U, going all nine innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. He walked just one, and it came in the ninth inning. The Phoenix native, in what could be his final collegiate game, threw 132 pitches and left it all on the field, cementing the first-ever WAC Tournament win for the Wildcats. Cervantes' gem was his third career complete game, but his first-ever CG in nine innings. In fact, the complete game was the first in nine-innings for ACU since Drew Hanson did so against Quinnipiac during the 2018 season. The nine innings and 132 total pitches are both career-highs for Cervantes.
• ALL-CONFERENCE – Sophomore Bash Randle was named to the All-WAC Second Team as well as the All-Defensive team. Randle hit .314 for the regular season season in 51 games, and hit eight home runs and drove in 35. The super star short stop was recognized for his stability on defense as well, finishing with a fielding percentage of .975 and made countless remarkable plays in the busiest position on the field.
• AN EYE ON THE STREAKS – Bryson Hill has reached base safely in a team-leading 20 consecutive games, while Colton Eager has done so in 13 straight. Miller Ladusau has an 11-game streak going, all hits, and Hunter Gieser and Tanner Tweedt each have a 10-game on-base streak going. Miller Ladusau has a current 11-game hitting streak, a team-high.
• PITCHING RECORDS – Earlier this season, the 'Cats struck out 20 batters as a team at SFA, setting a new Division I program record in a single game. The Wildcats also have set a new single-season record for any era in program history, striking out 568 batters. ACU has also set a new program record for strikeouts/nine innings at 10.42.
• THE POWER IN THE LINEUP – The power has been on full display this season for ACU. As a team, the 'Cats have hit 80 home runs in 2022, the most in any season in any era ever. ACU has a team slugging percentage of .486, the highest in any single season ever as well. The team just set a new Division I single season record as well for runs scored (428), and did so against Seattle U on Thursday. ACU also set a new D1 record for hits in a season with 589.
• INDIVIDUAL RECORDS – Tyler Morgan has more strikeouts in a career than anyone at the D1 level for ACU (158), while Grayson Tatrow's 27 career home runs are the most in the D1 era for the Wildcats. Colton Eager's 138 runs batted in are the most in the D1 era, his 370 total bases rank No. 1, his 91 career walks are tops in the D1 era, and he most recently set the new D1 record for games played with 217. Tanner Riley's 11 career saves now rank No. 1 in the D1 era as well. Tatrow's 17 home runs, 65 runs scored, 65 RBI, and 44 walks taken this season are the most in a single campaign in ACU's Division I history as well. Genner Cervantes' 11.9 strikeouts/nine innings are No. 1 in the D1 era in a single season as well.
• SENIOR DAY – ACU recognized its 10 seniors on May 15 against Lamar. Alexei Cazarin, Genner Cervantes, Tommy Cruz, Colton Eager, Garrett Egli, Hunter Gieser, Trevor Jackson, Tanner Riley, Connor Carlton, and Carter Sells have all made significant contributions to the Wildcat baseball program, and will be honored for their accomplishments. As a group, they have won 119 games including 58 conference wins. In that stretch included the historic 2021 campaign that featured 36 wins, 25 in Southland Conference play, and a regular-season league title, the first of its kind at ACU since moving to Division I.

SCOUTING GRAND CANYON (41-18, 25-5 WAC)

• The Lopes won the West Division in the WAC by a wide margin, going 25-5 in league play.
• Daniel Avitira was named the WAC Pitcher of the Year as well as the WAC Freshman of the Year. Head coach Andy Stankiewicz was named the league's Coach of the Year.
• GCU placed eight on the all-league team, and comes into the tournament on a six-game winning streak.

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