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Maddox Miesse
Kaylee Kahn

Baseball

Baseball heads to TCU on Tuesday

Abilene Christian 200x200
Abilene Christian (16-4, 5-1 WAC)

vs.

TCU 200x200
TCU (10-9, 1-2 Big 12)

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (16-4, 5-1 WESTERN ATHLETIC) vs. TCU (10-9, 1-2 BIG 12)
Tuesday, March 21 · 6 p.m. · Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium at Williams-Reilly Field (4,500) · Fort Worth, Texas
Projected Starters: RHP Blake Anderson (3-0, 5.28 ERA) vs. LHP Chase Hoover (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Listen: ACU Sports Network, The Varsity Network (Zach Carlyle)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Tickets

FORT WORTH – ACU, off to its best start through 20 games since 2010, takes its 16-4 record into Big 12 country for the second matchup of the season against a Power 5 opponent. The Wildcats meet up with the Horned Frogs of TCU at Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium at Williams-Reilly Field on Tuesday, March 21 at 6 p.m. It's the first of two meetings this season with TCU; the Horned Frogs will come to Abilene on April 11. The game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and heard on the ACU Sports Network.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TCU

  • ALL-TIME | 12th meeting (TCU leads, 9-2)
  • LAST MEETING | ACU 6, #12 TCU 2 (March 29, 2022 - Fort Worth)
  • STREAK | ACU, w1
  • IN ABILENE | TCU leads, 5-0
  • IN FORT WORTH | TCU leads, 4-2
  • NEUTRAL | n/a
  • POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

  • HISTORIC START – ACU's 16 wins through the first 20 games is the best start in the Division I history of the program. ACU moved to Division I in 2013, and the first baseball season played at that level was in the spring of 2014. It's also the best start to a season since 2010, the group that holds the overall program record for wins in a season (50-15). ACU's 5-1 start to conference play is also the best start to a league schedule since that 2010 group to started 5-1 as well in the Lone Star Conference.
  • WEEKEND WINNERS – ACU played a true road game for the first time this season last weekend at UT Arlington, and after dropping game one in heartbreaking fashion, bounced back with wins on Saturday and Sunday to win the series. The 'Cats gave up the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lose 4-3 Friday night, but bounced back with a 6-4 win on Saturday to even the series. ACU then trailed 7-2 most the game on Sunday, but erupted with 10 runs in the final four innings to win the game and the series, 12-7.
  • LAST WEEKEND'S NUMBERS – ACU hit .301 as a team for the weekend in Arlington, scoring 21 runs on 34 hits in three games. Grayson Tatrow led the way with a .583 average (7-12), including a double and a pair of home runs to go with two walks. Maddox Miesse hit .500 for the series (6-12) with four runs driven in, while Garrett Williams matched Miesse with four rbi to lead the team; Williams hit .429 for the weekend as well. Breck Eichelberger was outstanding in the win on Saturday, pitching seven shutout innings allowing four hits and striking out four. Adam Stephenson was remarkable for the week, not just the weekend, with two appearances out of the bullpen, including a win over UTA on Sunday. The left-hander struck out 14 batters in nine innings in the team games, allowing six hits and just one walk.
  • AN EYE ON THE STREAKS – Tatrow leads ACU with a current 11-game hitting streak, while Miesse has a hit in five straight games. Tatrow and Tanner Tweedt have each reached base safely in 11 in a row, while Garrett Williams has a current seven-game on-base streak going.
  • TEAM LEADERS – Williams leads the 'Cats with a .390 batting average, but six guys are up over .300 for the season, including Tatrow (.362), Logan Britt (.345), Miesse (.338), Miller Ladusau (.315), and Tweedt (.304). Tatrow and Britt pace the offense with four home runs apiece, while Tatrow leads ACU with 23 runs batted in. Tyler Morgan’s 2.57 earned run average in five starts leads the pitching staff, as do his 38 strikeouts and .190 opponent batting average.
  • 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. 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 14 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 115 career victories in his time at ACU, which includes a regular-season championship and a runner-up finish at the tournament.

SCOUTING TCU (10-9, 1-2 BIG 12)

  • The Horned Frogs, previously ranked #11 in the country, come in unranked this week after a 1-3 week against Texas State (L, 8-4) and Oklahoma (W, 13-5, L, 3-1, L, 7-5). TCU opens up a five-game home stand starting with ACU on Tuesday that includes a game on Wednesday against Northwestern and a three-game series starting on Friday against Kansas.
  • TCU is hitting .264 as a team and is led by Tre Richardson's .333 average. Brayden Taylor has a team-best 17 home runs, while Austin Davis has driven in a team-best 15 runs this season.

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