ACU plays host to GCU for first time in nine years

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Game Notes  |  Watch |  Tickets

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ABILENE – The ACU baseball team is set to host Grand Canyon for a three-game series this week at Crutcher Scott Field. The series pits two of the top-four teams in the WAC against one another for the first time in the regular season as members of the same conference. Friday's series opener will be the first in Abilene between the schools since 2014, and a rematch of an epi three-game series that took place at the WAC Tournament last May. ACU took two-of-three against GCU to advance to the tournament title game. The series gets underway on Friday night at 6:05 p.m., while Saturday's game two is set for 3:05 p.m. The Sunday finale gets underway at 1:05 p.m., and all three games of the series will air on ESPN+.


GAME #33
ACU (23-9, 8-4 WAC) vs. GRAND CANYON (18-14, 9-6 WAC)
Friday, April 14 | 6:05 p.m. | Crutcher Scott Field (4,000)
Projected Starters: RHP Tyler Morgan (2-2, 4.37 ERA) vs. LHP Connor Markl (2-0, 5.29 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats | Tickets


GAME #34
ACU (23-9, 8-4 WAC) vs. GRAND CANYON (18-14, 9-6 WAC)
Saturday, April 15 | 3:05 p.m. | Crutcher Scott Field (4,000)
Projected Starters: RHP Breck Eichelberger (4-1, 5.63 ERA) vs. RHP Daniel Avitia (4-1, 4.01 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats | Tickets


GAME #35
ACU (23-9, 8-4 WAC) vs. GRAND CANYON (18-14, 9-6 WAC)
Sunday, April 16 | 1:05 p.m. | Crutcher Scott Field (4,000)
Projected Starters: RHP Austin Glaze (4-1, 5.63 ERA) vs. TBD
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats | Tickets


A LOOK AT ACU
The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 23-9 record and an 8-4 mark in WAC play. ACU dropped a 7-5 decision to #25 TCU on Tuesday night after a wild week for the 'Cats last week. The team had multiple games moved or postponed due to bad weather, including never playing Texas Tech on Tuesday; that game has been rescheduled for May 9. The Wildcats then were supposed to play three games spanning from Thursday through Saturday at Sam Houston, but it turned into a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Easter Sunday. ACU went 1-2 for the weekend, falling 5-1 and 4-3 before taking the finale 8-7. ACU wraps the four-game home stand this weekend at The Crutch.


SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
GCU enters the weekend at 18-14 overall and 9-6 in WAC play, but are 1-5 in its last six games. The Lopes fell to Arizona State at home on Tuesday in a wildly high-scoring game, 13-10. Seattle U took two-of-three from GCU in Phoenix last weekend, and overall, the Lopes have lost eight of their last 11 contests. GCU hits .306 as a team led by WAC Preseason Player of the Year Jacob Wilson's .465 clip. The shortstop also has a team-best 38 runs driven in. ACU will also face the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Daniel Avitia who is 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA this season. The staff as a whole has a 5.64 ERA this season.


INSIDE THE SERIES
All-Time Series: 5th meeting (ACU leads, 3-1)
Last Meeting: ACU 15, #25 GCU 8 (May 28, 2022 - Mesa, Ariz.)
Streak: ACU, w2
In Abilene: ACU leads, 1-0
In Phoenix: n/a
Neutral site: ACU leads, 2-1
Postseason: ACU leads, 2-1


HISTORIC START
ACU's 23 wins through the first 32 games are the most since the 2007 season. That team also started the season 23-8 and finished 47-13 with a trip to the Lone Star Conference championship game. This is ACU's best start in the Division I era of the program, which began for baseball in the spring of 2014. ACU had also won the first seven series to start the year before dropping two-of-three to Sam Houston, accomplishing something that has not happened since the 2000 campaign.


A WEEKEND IN HUNTSVILLE
ACU was limited to just three hits and one run in the 5-1 defeat to Sam Houston in Saturday's series opener. It looked like the Wildcats would bounce back well in the back-half of the twin bill, but Sam Houston had different plans. ACU took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of ninth, but a home run and a double allowed the Bearkats to walk off to take the series. The Wildcats finally broke through with eight runs on 11 hits on Sunday and held on for an 8-7 victory. The 'Cats built up a 7-0 lead through 2.5 innings and ultimately held on in the end. 


LAST WEEKEND'S NUMBERS
ACU hit .206 as a team over the weekend against Sam Houston, with Logan Britt leading the way with a .364 average. The 'Cats hit four homers in three games, all solo blasts, and all by different players. Britt, Bash Randle, Tanner Tweedt, and Crew Parke all left the Don Sanders Stadium, and Randle led the way with a .700 slugging percentage over the weekend. Adam Stephenson dazzled on the mound once again, throwing six innings allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts. Drake Boggan also only allowed one run in the three innings he throw over the weekend. Luke Krkovski and Breck Eichelberger each threw two scoreless frames over the weekend.


LATE-INNING HEROICS
Maddox Miesse has had a flare fo the dramatic so far during his freshman campaign. The third baseman hit a walk-off single to beat Oklahoma, hit a walk-off grand slam to top Southeast Missouri, and just closed the weekend with a walk-off against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this past Sunday. The freshman has been huge so far for ACU and has been a big part of a team that is outscoring its opponents 82-61 from the sixth inning on this season.


AN EYE ON THE STREAKS
Britt leads the way with a seven-game hitting streak, while Garrett Williams has a team-best 19-game on-base streak going. Britt has reached base safely in 11 games in a row now, while Eric Martin has a nine-game on-base streak going.


TEAM LEADERS
Williams leads the 'Cats with a .369 batting average, and five guys in total are at or above .300 for the season, including Tatrow (.342), Britt (.333), Tweedt (.304), and Miesse (.303). Tatrow paces the offense with nine home runs and 39 runs batted in. Eichelberger's 3.12 earned run average in seven starts leads the pitching staff, while Tyler Morgan's 56 strikeouts leads the staff.


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 is in his fifth season as the head man at ACU, and earned his 100th career win on Opening Day. He sits at 122 career victories in his time at ACU, which includes a regular-season championship and a runner-up finish at the tournament.