Tuesday, April 28
Abilene, Texas
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Dallas Baptist
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
ACU Hosts Dallas Baptist Tuesday Before Heading to Sacramento State
4/27/2026 10:01:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball can match its longest winning streak of the season when it hosts Dallas Baptist on Tuesday ahead of a three-game series at Sacramento State this weekend. The Wildcats close out a five-game homestand following their first Western Athletic Conference series win over UT Arlington last week.
ACU aims for its third win in a row when it welcomes the Patriots to Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark at 6 p.m. Tuesday. It's a Purple Game, presented by Hendrick Health. Tuesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+, with Andy Penney (play-by-play), Roman Raffaeli (analysis) and Ashley Henderson (reporter) on the call.
Collin Adams is slated to start on the bump for ACU. The Wildcats are 2-2 versus the Patriots in Abilene in the program's Division I era, including a 7-1 victory at The Crutch last season. The teams met in Dallas on Feb. 17, with Brady Gray and Zandt Payne combining for five hits with one home run each. Gray's three hits were a career high.
The Wildcats then head West to Sacramento, Calif. to meet the Hornets at John Smith Field. The series begins at 8 p.m. (CT) Friday ahead of a 4 p.m. (CT) first pitch Saturday. The weekend wraps up at 12:30 p.m. (CT) Sunday. Each game will be streamed on ESPN+.
ACU and Sacramento State have split their 10 matchups since 2023, with the Wildcats picking up a 7-0 win over the Hornets in the WAC Tournament last season. ACU won two of its three games in Sacramento in 2024.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – After dropping a midweek affair to Texas Tech, ACU secured its first WAC series win of the season versus UT Arlington in Abilene. Reese Borho was the hero for the Wildcats on Saturday with a walk-off single for a 9-8 win in 10 innings. The Wildcats' offense broke out for a 14-4 win in seven innings on Sunday. JT Thompson went 9 for 14 and slashed .643/.706/.786, while Nick Arias hit 7 for 17 (.412) with eight runs batted in, including six on Sunday. Zandt Payne was 6 for 13 (.462) at the plate with a .588 on-base percentage.
ON-BASE MACHINE – Zandt Payne has displayed remarkable consistency this season, starting each of the Wildcats' 43 games with a team-high .341 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage. He has reached base safely in all but two contests this season, including a streak of 35 games in which he made his way aboard. Payne is tied for the team lead with 27 walks and has been hit by a pitch 12 times, ranking second on ACU's roster. He has been recognized among the nation's top shortstops as a semifinalist for the 2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award.
WILDCATS DIG THE LONG BALL – The Wildcats have developed into one of the most powerful teams in the nation at the plate this season, tying for 20th with 74 home runs. Grant Watkins and Diego Cardenas are tied for 11th 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 11. 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 53 RBIs, a .712 slugging percentage and a 1.110 OPS.
BIG FISH – Brady Ladusau blasted two home runs versus Indiana on April 18 to establish the Wildcats' Division I true freshman home run record with four. He now has five long balls, the most home runs by a Wildcat in their first collegiate season in ACU's Division I era. Ladusau also scored five runs in the game against the Hoosiers, 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).
ABILENE TO OMAHA – ACU has adopted the mantra of "ATO," or "Abilene to Omaha," under head coach Rick McCarty, referencing the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The motto recognizes the Wildcats' intent to establish themselves on the national stage as a mid-major program.
ACU aims for its third win in a row when it welcomes the Patriots to Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark at 6 p.m. Tuesday. It's a Purple Game, presented by Hendrick Health. Tuesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+, with Andy Penney (play-by-play), Roman Raffaeli (analysis) and Ashley Henderson (reporter) on the call.
Collin Adams is slated to start on the bump for ACU. The Wildcats are 2-2 versus the Patriots in Abilene in the program's Division I era, including a 7-1 victory at The Crutch last season. The teams met in Dallas on Feb. 17, with Brady Gray and Zandt Payne combining for five hits with one home run each. Gray's three hits were a career high.
The Wildcats then head West to Sacramento, Calif. to meet the Hornets at John Smith Field. The series begins at 8 p.m. (CT) Friday ahead of a 4 p.m. (CT) first pitch Saturday. The weekend wraps up at 12:30 p.m. (CT) Sunday. Each game will be streamed on ESPN+.
ACU and Sacramento State have split their 10 matchups since 2023, with the Wildcats picking up a 7-0 win over the Hornets in the WAC Tournament last season. ACU won two of its three games in Sacramento in 2024.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – After dropping a midweek affair to Texas Tech, ACU secured its first WAC series win of the season versus UT Arlington in Abilene. Reese Borho was the hero for the Wildcats on Saturday with a walk-off single for a 9-8 win in 10 innings. The Wildcats' offense broke out for a 14-4 win in seven innings on Sunday. JT Thompson went 9 for 14 and slashed .643/.706/.786, while Nick Arias hit 7 for 17 (.412) with eight runs batted in, including six on Sunday. Zandt Payne was 6 for 13 (.462) at the plate with a .588 on-base percentage.
ON-BASE MACHINE – Zandt Payne has displayed remarkable consistency this season, starting each of the Wildcats' 43 games with a team-high .341 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage. He has reached base safely in all but two contests this season, including a streak of 35 games in which he made his way aboard. Payne is tied for the team lead with 27 walks and has been hit by a pitch 12 times, ranking second on ACU's roster. He has been recognized among the nation's top shortstops as a semifinalist for the 2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award.
WILDCATS DIG THE LONG BALL – The Wildcats have developed into one of the most powerful teams in the nation at the plate this season, tying for 20th with 74 home runs. Grant Watkins and Diego Cardenas are tied for 11th 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 11. 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 53 RBIs, a .712 slugging percentage and a 1.110 OPS.
BIG FISH – Brady Ladusau blasted two home runs versus Indiana on April 18 to establish the Wildcats' Division I true freshman home run record with four. He now has five long balls, the most home runs by a Wildcat in their first collegiate season in ACU's Division I era. Ladusau also scored five runs in the game against the Hoosiers, 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).
ABILENE TO OMAHA – ACU has adopted the mantra of "ATO," or "Abilene to Omaha," under head coach Rick McCarty, referencing the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The motto recognizes the Wildcats' intent to establish themselves on the national stage as a mid-major program.
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