ACU hosts former conference foe HCU at The Crutch

GAME #1

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (7-2, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN (0-8, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Friday, March 3 · 6:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Tyler Morgan (1-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. RHP Rye Gunter (0-1, 5.59 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #2

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (7-2, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN (0-8, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Saturday, March 4 · 1:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Rolando De La Cruz (1-1, 14.29 ERA) vs. RHP Matthew Charles (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #3

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (7-2, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN (0-8, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Saturday, March 4 · 4:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Breck Eichelberger (0-0, 12.60 ERA) vs. RHP Walker Zander (0-2, 9.00 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
Tickets

GAME #4

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (7-2, 0-0 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN (0-8, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Sunday, March 5 · 1:05 p.m. · Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) · Abilene, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Austin Glaze (1-0, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Baylor Baumann (0-1, 5.68 ERA)
Watch: WAC International
Live Stats
Tickets

ABILENE – Off to its best start in the Rick McCarty era at 7-2, the ACU baseball team continues its 12-game home stand with a matchup against former Southland Conference foe Houston Christian this weekend. The Wildcats will line up against the Huskies (0-8) for the first time since the 2021 season, ACU's final year in the Southland. It's a four-game weekend set that begins on Friday, March 3 at 6:05 p.m. It continues with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 4 at 1:05 and 4:05 p.m., and wraps on Sunday, March 5 at 1:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday's games will air on ESPN+, while Sunday's finale airs on WAC International.

SERIES HISTORY VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN

• ALL-TIME | 21st meeting (HCU leads, 12-8)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 8, HCU 6 (May 2, 2021 - Houston)
• STREAK | ACU, w2
• IN ABILENE | HCU leads, 4-2
• IN HOUSTON | HCU leads, 8-6
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

• A 3-1 WEEKEND – ACU won three of the four games against defending OVC champion Southeast Missouri last weekend. The Wildcats took the opener behind a remarkable outing from Tyler Morgan, 3-0, before dropping game two 23-2. ACU then used late-inning magic to top SEMO on Sunday in both games, 7-4 and 5-4. The 'Cats have wins in the same week against the defending Big 12 champs and national runner-ups Oklahoma and defending OVC champs SEMO.
• 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.
• MORGAN DOMINATES – Tyler Morgan threw a complete-game shutout for the Wildcats in game one against SEMO, striking out nine batters in the process. Morgan needed just 90 pitches in the win, and was the reason for a remarkable, one-hour, 35-minute game. Morgan's CG was the first for ACU since Genner Cervantes in last year's WAC Tournament against Seattle U.
• LAST WEEK'S NUMBERS – Maddox Miesse led ACU with a .455 batting average in five games last week, slugging a remarkable .818 as well. Miesse drove in seven, including a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in game three of the series. Garrett Williams hit .429 for the week with three driven in as well.
• LAST WEEK'S NUMBERS – Drake Boggan threw nine innings of scoreless baseball for the week, allowing just three hits and striking out five batters. Boggan allowed a ridiculous .107 batting average. Lefty Max Huffling picked up a pair of wins, including the win over OU, and tossed 6.1 innings of one-run, three-hit baseball. The left-hander struck out seven in the two games combined.
• 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 106 career victories in his time at ACU, which includes a regular-season championship and a runner-up finish at the tournament.

SCOUTING HOUSTON CHRISTIAN (0-8, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)

• The Huskies are led by former big-leaguer and World Series champion Lance Berkman, who is in his second season at HCU.
• Samuel Benjamin and Logan Letney lead the way with a .333 batting average, while Parker Edwards has driven in a team-high six runs.
• HCU has a team ERA of 9.30 and has given up 32 extra-base hits for the season.

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