Wednesday, April 22
Abilene, Texas
5 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Texas Tech
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
ACU Hosts Texas Tech Wednesday, Returns to WAC Play Versus UT Arlington
4/21/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball will kick off a five-game homestand at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark this week with a West Texas showdown versus Texas Tech and a conference series with in-state foe UT Arlington. The Wildcats return to their home ballpark for the first time in two weeks following series at Tarleton State and Indiana.
ACU hosts the Red Raiders at 5 p.m. Wednesday in a game rescheduled from April 14 due to inclement weather. It's Pack the Crutch Night, presented by First Financial. Over 2,500 fans filled the ballpark for the teams' matchup last season, with the past four games in Abilene averaging an attendance of 2,804. The 2022 contest attracted a record-4,087 Wildcat faithful.
Wednesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+, with Roman Raffaeli (play-by-play), Jaden West (analysis) and Daisy Strine (reporter) on the call.
The Wildcats return to Western Athletic Conference action this weekend against UT Arlington. They've won their last six games versus the Mavericks and 10 of their last 13. Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night begins at 6 p.m. Friday before Rally Cats Day presented by New Horizons at 3 p.m. Saturday. The weekend wraps up at 12 p.m. Sunday with Challengers Day and Bark in the Park.
Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on ESPN+, while Sunday's finale can be viewed on WAC International.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU took a detour from Western Athletic Conference play with a three-game series versus Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. The Wildcats took down the Hoosiers 8-4 on April 18 before falling late in the rubber game for a 5-4 loss. Gavin Brzozowski slashed .400/.538/.600 with a pair of doubles, while Kanon Sundgren hit 3 for 9 with a team-high five runs batted in in two games. He hit his first career home run on Sunday. Diego Cardenas and JT Thompson each hit .300, with Cardenas connecting on his 18th home run of the season. Cade McGarrh earned the win on Saturday in his first relief appearance since 2024, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six in 4.1 frames.
WILDCATS DIG THE LONG BALL – The Wildcats have developed into one of the most powerful teams in the nation at the plate this season, ranking 15th with 71 home runs. Grant Watkins and Diego Cardenas are tied for eighth nationally with 18 long balls apiece. Both are tied atop the WAC standings. ACU is the only team in the country with two hitters ranked within the top 10. Over the past two seasons, Watkins and Cardenas have combined for 71 home runs with 34 and 37, respectively. Cardenas also leads the conference with 51 RBIs and a .750 slugging percentage.
BIG FISH – Brady Ladusau blasted two home runs versus Indiana on April 18 to establish the Wildcats' Division I true freshman home run record. He doubled his season home run output to four, the most home runs by a Wildcat in their first collegiate season in ACU's Division I era. He also scored five runs in the game, the most by a Wildcat since 2021.
POWER CONFERENCE PROWESS – ACU has secured 14 wins over power conference programs under head coach Rick McCarty after beating TCU 4-1 on April 7 and taking down Indiana 8-4 on April 18. The Wildcats have earned 17 power conference wins since transitioning to the Division I level in 2014. McCarty took the helm at ACU in 2019 and has taken down four power conference teams in the state of Texas, including three wins apiece versus TCU and Baylor. The Wildcats have also beaten Texas Tech and Texas A&M to go with ranked victories over Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon.
JUCO BANDITS – ACU's 2026 roster features a heavy representation of former junior college players, including many of its top performers. Sixteen Wildcats competed at a junior college before making their way to Abilene. That list includes nine position players (Thompson, Payne, Arias, Watkins, Hardcastle, Cardenas, Baier, Brzozowski, Sundgren) and seven pitchers (Greanead, Galvan, Jeon, Swaim, Young, Patterson, Adams). Nine Wildcats were previously on power conference rosters (Thompson, McGarrh, Jones, Brzozowski, Batten, Jeon, Coleman, Sundgren, Whiteaker).
ACU hosts the Red Raiders at 5 p.m. Wednesday in a game rescheduled from April 14 due to inclement weather. It's Pack the Crutch Night, presented by First Financial. Over 2,500 fans filled the ballpark for the teams' matchup last season, with the past four games in Abilene averaging an attendance of 2,804. The 2022 contest attracted a record-4,087 Wildcat faithful.
Wednesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+, with Roman Raffaeli (play-by-play), Jaden West (analysis) and Daisy Strine (reporter) on the call.
The Wildcats return to Western Athletic Conference action this weekend against UT Arlington. They've won their last six games versus the Mavericks and 10 of their last 13. Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night begins at 6 p.m. Friday before Rally Cats Day presented by New Horizons at 3 p.m. Saturday. The weekend wraps up at 12 p.m. Sunday with Challengers Day and Bark in the Park.
Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on ESPN+, while Sunday's finale can be viewed on WAC International.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU took a detour from Western Athletic Conference play with a three-game series versus Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. The Wildcats took down the Hoosiers 8-4 on April 18 before falling late in the rubber game for a 5-4 loss. Gavin Brzozowski slashed .400/.538/.600 with a pair of doubles, while Kanon Sundgren hit 3 for 9 with a team-high five runs batted in in two games. He hit his first career home run on Sunday. Diego Cardenas and JT Thompson each hit .300, with Cardenas connecting on his 18th home run of the season. Cade McGarrh earned the win on Saturday in his first relief appearance since 2024, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six in 4.1 frames.
WILDCATS DIG THE LONG BALL – The Wildcats have developed into one of the most powerful teams in the nation at the plate this season, ranking 15th with 71 home runs. Grant Watkins and Diego Cardenas are tied for eighth nationally with 18 long balls apiece. Both are tied atop the WAC standings. ACU is the only team in the country with two hitters ranked within the top 10. Over the past two seasons, Watkins and Cardenas have combined for 71 home runs with 34 and 37, respectively. Cardenas also leads the conference with 51 RBIs and a .750 slugging percentage.
BIG FISH – Brady Ladusau blasted two home runs versus Indiana on April 18 to establish the Wildcats' Division I true freshman home run record. He doubled his season home run output to four, the most home runs by a Wildcat in their first collegiate season in ACU's Division I era. He also scored five runs in the game, the most by a Wildcat since 2021.
POWER CONFERENCE PROWESS – ACU has secured 14 wins over power conference programs under head coach Rick McCarty after beating TCU 4-1 on April 7 and taking down Indiana 8-4 on April 18. The Wildcats have earned 17 power conference wins since transitioning to the Division I level in 2014. McCarty took the helm at ACU in 2019 and has taken down four power conference teams in the state of Texas, including three wins apiece versus TCU and Baylor. The Wildcats have also beaten Texas Tech and Texas A&M to go with ranked victories over Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon.
JUCO BANDITS – ACU's 2026 roster features a heavy representation of former junior college players, including many of its top performers. Sixteen Wildcats competed at a junior college before making their way to Abilene. That list includes nine position players (Thompson, Payne, Arias, Watkins, Hardcastle, Cardenas, Baier, Brzozowski, Sundgren) and seven pitchers (Greanead, Galvan, Jeon, Swaim, Young, Patterson, Adams). Nine Wildcats were previously on power conference rosters (Thompson, McGarrh, Jones, Brzozowski, Batten, Jeon, Coleman, Sundgren, Whiteaker).
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