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Tyler Morgan
Aly Bayliss

Baseball

ACU welcomes SEMO for four this weekend

Abilene Christian 200x200
Abilene Christian (4-1, 0-0 Western Athletic)

vs.

Southeast Missouri (1-3, 0-0 Ohio Valley)

GAME #1

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (4-1, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (1-3, 0-0 OHIO VALLEY)
Friday, Feb. 24 · 4:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Tyler Morgan (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Noah Niznik (0-0, 3.86 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #2

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (4-1, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (1-3, 0-0 OHIO VALLEY)
Saturday, Feb. 25 · 1:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Rolando De La Cruz (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Collin Wilma (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #3

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (4-1, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (1-3, 0-0 OHIO VALLEY)
Saturday, Feb. 25 · 4:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: TBD vs. LHP Haden Dow (0-1, 3.00 ERA)
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #4

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (4-1, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (1-3, 0-0 OHIO VALLEY)
Friday, Feb. 24 · 4:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Breck Eichelberger (0-0, 7.20 ERA) vs. TBD
Watch: WAC International
Live Stats
Tickets

ABILENE – Fresh off a big-time early-season win over Oklahoma at Globe Life Field, the ACU baseball team returns to the friendly confines of Crutcher Scott Field for a four-game series against Southeast Missouri. The Wildcats (4-1) will line up against SEMO (1-3) for the first time in program history, beginning on Friday, Feb. 24 at 4:05 p.m. The series continues with a Saturday doubleheader at 1:05 p.m., and it wraps up with a 1:05 first pitch on Sunday as well. ACU, after one game away from home, returns to Abilene for 12 straight beginning this weekend.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

  • ALL-TIME | First meeting
  • LAST MEETING | n/a
  • STREAK | n/a
  • IN ABILENE | n/a
  • IN CAPE GIRARDEAU | n/a
  • NEUTRAL | n/a
  • POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

  • GLOBE LIFE FIREWORKS – One out. Bottom of the tenth. Tie game. Winning run at second base. Globe Life Field, a place that two-and-a-half years earlier hosted the World Series. A freshman at the plate against the defending national runner-ups. Enter a moment Maddox Miesse will never forget. The youngster delivered with a walk-off single to beat the Oklahoma Sooners, 4-3 in 10 innings, Wednesday night at the home of the Texas Rangers. ACU never trailed, led 3-0, and even after Oklahoma tied it up with two in the eighth and one in the ninth, the Wildcats came through. ACU moves to 4-1 to start a season for the third time in the last four years under fifth-year head coach Rick McCarty.
  • PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Transfer Logan Britt was named the WAC Hitter of the Week for his performance in the first three games of the series. In those three outings, the centerfielder led ACU with a .615 batting average, going 8-13. He had all three types of extra-base hits, including his first homer as a Wildcat on on Saturday. Britt drove in three runs, tallied 14 total bases, totaled an on-base percentage of .615, and tallied a 1.077 slugging percentage all before Monday's game even took place. Through four games, Britt is hitting .588 with 10 hits and four runs driven in.
  • D1BASEBALL PRESEASON – D1Baseball released its preseason picks for the Western Athletic Conference, and ACU was picked sixth in the league and Randle was selected as a preseason first team all-WAC selection at second base. It also highlighted the top draft prospects from the conference as a whole, and in the 2023 draft, Eichelberger was the sixth-best prospect in the league, while Texas A&M transfer Logan Britt was ninth overall out of the outfield spot. Morgan, back for his junior season, came in at 13 on the list as well. In the 2024 draft, Byrd was listed fourth in line in the league. Tatrow was labeled #138 in the top 150 outfielders in the country, and Randle was selected as preseason first team all-conference. Randle returns as an all-conference selection two years in a row, while Tatrow was the Southland Newcomer of the Year and on the second team in 2021.
  • PRESEASON POLL / AWARDS – The Western Athletic Conference announced the preseason poll and the preseason all-conference selections for the upcoming season, and the Wildcats are picked tied for fourth in the 13-team league. Junior Bash Randle and seniors Grayson Tatrow and Tanner Tweedt were all named to the all-conference list as well prior to the season. Grand Canyon was picked to win the conference, followed by Sam Houston and California Baptist. ACU tied with UTRGV and Sacramento State for fourth overall.
  • BACK TO ONE BIG LEAGUE – The WAC is moving back to a traditional format in 2023. All 13 teams will be in one standings list, and there will be no divisions this season. There will be 30 league games against 10 of the 12 possible opponents, and the 2023 WAC Tournament will start May 24 in Mesa, Ariz.
  • A GLANCE AT THE TOUGH SCHEDULE – The 2023 slate encompasses 55 games, including 30 Western Athletic Conference games (10 three-game series), and another 25 non-conference games (four series and 11 single games). Overall the team will host 35 times at Crutcher Scott Field (the most in the Rick McCarty era), where the team is 61-39 over the last four seasons. ACU will play 21 games against teams that finished in the top 100 in RPI in 2022, nine games against Power 5 opponents (Oklahoma, TCU x2, Baylor x2, Nebraska, Texas Tech x2, Texas), and seven games against 2022 regional teams (Oklahoma, Southeast Missouri, Oral Roberts, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas, Grand Canyon). There are five first-time opponents on the slate (Southeast Missouri, Sacramento State, Nebraska, California Baptist, Utah Tech), and there are four home games against Power 5 opponents (Nebraska, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor).
  • THE COACH – Head Coach Rick McCarty enters his fifth season as the head man at ACU, and earned his 100th career win on Opening Day. He sits at 104 career victories in his time at ACU, which includes a regular-season championship and a runner-up finish at the tournament.

SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (1-3, 0-0 OHIO VALLEY)

  • The Redhawks fell to former Ohio Valley Conference member Middle Tennessee in their first midweek matchup of the season Tuesday. Southeast Missouri five hits with two coming from Josh Cameron in its 8-3 defeat.
  • Wade Stauss and Josh Cameron became the first Redhawks to get a home run this season. Stauss hit a leadoff solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. Cameron then hit his first career home run at SEMO for a two-run blast in the ninth.
  • Southeast Missouri pounded out 13 hits in a dominating 11-3 season-opening win over Central Arkansas (Feb. 17). SEMO scored its most runs in a season-opener in 13 years when the Redhawks began the 2010 campaign with a 13-8 victory over SEC member Auburn. SEMO posted its fourth-straight season-opening win under head coach Andy Sawyers. The Redhawks also improved to 14-18 all-time in season-opening games during their NCAA Division I era (since 1992).

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