
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
Wildcats Welcome Horned Frogs to Abilene for Defend the Diamond Night
4/6/2026 5:25:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball welcomes its first power conference opponent of the season to Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark when it hosts TCU at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Wildcats beat the Horned Frogs 8-3 in their last trip to Abilene in 2024.
Tuesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Penney (play-by-play), Roman Raffaeli (analysis) and Daisy Strine (field-level) on the call. It's Defend the Diamond Night, presented by Clear Fork Bank. Left-handed pitcher Collin Adams is expected to start on the bump for the Wildcats after opening last week's matchup at Texas Tech.
ACU secured its first conference victory with a 9-8 win over California Baptist at home on Saturday. Freshman Brady Ladusau played the hero for the Wildcats with a walk-off solo homer to cap ACU's comeback from an 8-3 deficit. The Wildcats banged out six home runs, their most in a game since 2022.
The Wildcats tallied 15 hits against the Lancers, having recorded double-digit hits in half their games this season. Nick Arias registered the first multi-home run game of his career, going deep twice. Zandt Payne, Diego Cardenas and Gavin Brzozowski also went yard. Payne evened the score at 8 with a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.
Payne went 6 for 15 at the plate last week and has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games, while Cardenas extended his hitting streak to 15 games with his 15th home run of the season on Saturday. Grant Watkins bashed his 16th round-tripper of the year in the series-opener with CBU.
ACU is the only program in the nation with two hitters with at least 15 home runs each. Watkins is tied for sixth and leads the Western Athletic Conference, while Cardenas stands in ninth. Cardenas paces the WAC and is tied for 16th nationally with 44 runs batted in.
In ACU and TCU's last meeting in Abilene in 2024, Payne paced the Wildcats with a 3-for-4 performance, while Caden Greanead, Blaine Palmer and Cade McGarrh combined for five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts out of the bullpen. Greanead pitched three frames, allowing just one hit.
Tuesday's game can be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Penney (play-by-play), Roman Raffaeli (analysis) and Daisy Strine (field-level) on the call. It's Defend the Diamond Night, presented by Clear Fork Bank. Left-handed pitcher Collin Adams is expected to start on the bump for the Wildcats after opening last week's matchup at Texas Tech.
ACU secured its first conference victory with a 9-8 win over California Baptist at home on Saturday. Freshman Brady Ladusau played the hero for the Wildcats with a walk-off solo homer to cap ACU's comeback from an 8-3 deficit. The Wildcats banged out six home runs, their most in a game since 2022.
The Wildcats tallied 15 hits against the Lancers, having recorded double-digit hits in half their games this season. Nick Arias registered the first multi-home run game of his career, going deep twice. Zandt Payne, Diego Cardenas and Gavin Brzozowski also went yard. Payne evened the score at 8 with a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.
Payne went 6 for 15 at the plate last week and has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games, while Cardenas extended his hitting streak to 15 games with his 15th home run of the season on Saturday. Grant Watkins bashed his 16th round-tripper of the year in the series-opener with CBU.
ACU is the only program in the nation with two hitters with at least 15 home runs each. Watkins is tied for sixth and leads the Western Athletic Conference, while Cardenas stands in ninth. Cardenas paces the WAC and is tied for 16th nationally with 44 runs batted in.
In ACU and TCU's last meeting in Abilene in 2024, Payne paced the Wildcats with a 3-for-4 performance, while Caden Greanead, Blaine Palmer and Cade McGarrh combined for five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts out of the bullpen. Greanead pitched three frames, allowing just one hit.
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