Friday, February 27
Cleburne, Texas
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Texas State
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
“ACU Guy” Miesse Powers Wildcats With Strong Start to Senior Season
2/26/2026 9:46:00 PM | Baseball
CLEBURNE, Texas - Abilene Christian baseball head coach Rick McCarty offers a simple description of Maddox Miesse.
"Man, he is an ACU guy," McCarty said.
The senior represents something of a rarity in today's college athletics landscape, where instant gratification can take priority over loyalty to one's program.
It makes Miesse's fourth season with the Wildcats team all the more meaningful, and he's reaping the rewards of his experience in the Big Country. Through eight games, he paces the Western Athletic Conference in batting average (.474) and slugging percentage (.895) and is second in on-base percentage (.607).
Miesse will lead the Wildcats into the College Baseball Series at La Moderna Field this weekend. ACU will take on Texas State at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday, sandwiching a matchup with reigning Big East Conference champion Creighton at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Miesse developed into a force at the plate for the Wildcats, collecting nine hits, including four extra-base hits with a pair of home runs. He's third on the team with eight runs batted in while finding his way on base with six walks and being hit by two pitches. Yet as strong as Miesse's play on the field has been, he's regarded just as highly for how he carries himself off of it.
"There's so many things that Maddox does right and well, and not just on the field," McCarty said. "... There's a lot of moving parts in his world. He can play a lot of positions, he can be in a lot of different spots in the lineup. He handles that like a pro. He does everything right. Him and Zandt [Payne] are usually the first two dudes here every morning. When you've got those guys that are catalysts for everyone else to follow, it's great. So to see him get rewarded with good performance is awesome."
While a catcher by trade, Miesse has displayed the tools and willingness to play across the diamond. In six starts this season, the Adkins, Texas product has found himself behind the plate twice, at second base three times and once at third base. Four of his starts have seen him bat fifth in the lineup while appearing in the two-hole and cleanup once each.
"He's played as many games at third [base] as he has behind the plate," McCarty said. "He was at second base. … There'll be a time when he'll be in the outfield at some point this spring just because he's a ballplayer."
While Miesse didn't start the Wildcats' first two games of the season, a pair of wins over St. Thomas, he's made it difficult to keep him out of the lineup.
"His motor is nonstop, his energy level is super consistent," McCarty said. "He's a catalyst in so many ways for us. It's a great story, because he wasn't in the lineup to start, which he has been. That wasn't an easy decision to be made, but just the way some injuries and stuff were playing out, he was a really good insurance policy."
Miesse is the most tenured player on ACU's roster, having appeared in over 160 games in a Wildcat uniform. He's matched his home run output from each of his previous three seasons and has amassed over 140 hits and scored over 110 runs. That experience hasn't just helped improve his play on the field, but has also aided the mental aspect of it.
"He can handle a lot of different things, because he can handle a lot of uncertainty," McCarty said. "It's just, 'Hey man, I'm gonna control what I can. I'm gonna show up consistently, and if I'm at second base, fine.' … That's a part where we want to recruit and attract ballplayers where if you can hit, man, we're gonna figure out a spot for you in the lineup.
"He does so many things right for our program. There's not a bigger fan of Maddox Miesse in our program than me."
"Man, he is an ACU guy," McCarty said.
The senior represents something of a rarity in today's college athletics landscape, where instant gratification can take priority over loyalty to one's program.
It makes Miesse's fourth season with the Wildcats team all the more meaningful, and he's reaping the rewards of his experience in the Big Country. Through eight games, he paces the Western Athletic Conference in batting average (.474) and slugging percentage (.895) and is second in on-base percentage (.607).
Miesse will lead the Wildcats into the College Baseball Series at La Moderna Field this weekend. ACU will take on Texas State at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday, sandwiching a matchup with reigning Big East Conference champion Creighton at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Miesse developed into a force at the plate for the Wildcats, collecting nine hits, including four extra-base hits with a pair of home runs. He's third on the team with eight runs batted in while finding his way on base with six walks and being hit by two pitches. Yet as strong as Miesse's play on the field has been, he's regarded just as highly for how he carries himself off of it.
"There's so many things that Maddox does right and well, and not just on the field," McCarty said. "... There's a lot of moving parts in his world. He can play a lot of positions, he can be in a lot of different spots in the lineup. He handles that like a pro. He does everything right. Him and Zandt [Payne] are usually the first two dudes here every morning. When you've got those guys that are catalysts for everyone else to follow, it's great. So to see him get rewarded with good performance is awesome."
While a catcher by trade, Miesse has displayed the tools and willingness to play across the diamond. In six starts this season, the Adkins, Texas product has found himself behind the plate twice, at second base three times and once at third base. Four of his starts have seen him bat fifth in the lineup while appearing in the two-hole and cleanup once each.
"He's played as many games at third [base] as he has behind the plate," McCarty said. "He was at second base. … There'll be a time when he'll be in the outfield at some point this spring just because he's a ballplayer."
While Miesse didn't start the Wildcats' first two games of the season, a pair of wins over St. Thomas, he's made it difficult to keep him out of the lineup.
"His motor is nonstop, his energy level is super consistent," McCarty said. "He's a catalyst in so many ways for us. It's a great story, because he wasn't in the lineup to start, which he has been. That wasn't an easy decision to be made, but just the way some injuries and stuff were playing out, he was a really good insurance policy."
Miesse is the most tenured player on ACU's roster, having appeared in over 160 games in a Wildcat uniform. He's matched his home run output from each of his previous three seasons and has amassed over 140 hits and scored over 110 runs. That experience hasn't just helped improve his play on the field, but has also aided the mental aspect of it.
"He can handle a lot of different things, because he can handle a lot of uncertainty," McCarty said. "It's just, 'Hey man, I'm gonna control what I can. I'm gonna show up consistently, and if I'm at second base, fine.' … That's a part where we want to recruit and attract ballplayers where if you can hit, man, we're gonna figure out a spot for you in the lineup.
"He does so many things right for our program. There's not a bigger fan of Maddox Miesse in our program than me."
Players Mentioned
C
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