Tuesday, April 7
Abilene, Texas
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
17-16
4
vs
1
TCU
20-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Abilene Christian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
ACU Takes Down TCU for 13th Power Conference Win Under McCarty
4/7/2026 11:11:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball secured its 13th win over a power conference program under head coach Rick McCarty with a 4-1 victory over TCU at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark on Tuesday night. The Wildcats have earned 16 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.
ACU looks to take its momentum into this weekend's series versus Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. The Wildcats and Texans open the weekend at 6 p.m. Friday ahead of first pitches at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Catcher Kanon Sundgren shined for ACU with a 4-for-4 performance, including a pair of doubles. He drove in a run with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Behind the plate, Sundgren gunned down a would-be base stealer. He's in his first season as a Wildcat following a year at Nebraska and two seasons at Weatherford College.
JT Thompson plated a pair of runs with a fourth-inning RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the sixth to provide a key insurance run. Thompson and Zandt Payne collected two hits each. Payne got the scoring started with an RBI infield single in the third inning.
Collin Adams was credited with the win after keeping the Horned Frogs scoreless in his predetermined three innings. He struck out three batters. David Jeon logged 1.2 scoreless frames, and Brady Coe, Logan Young and Evan Whiteaker recorded one scoreless frame apiece. Whiteaker earned his first save by striking out the side in the ninth to seal the victory.
Payne registered his 15th multi-hit game of the season and reached base safely for the 27th game in a row.
Sundgren got the Wildcats going in the third inning with a double before advancing to third on a wild pitch. He came home on Payne's chopper in the infield. ACU added a pair of runs in the fourth. Nick Arias singled before coming around on Thompson's RBI base hit. Sundgren followed with an RBI single of his own that scored Brady Ladusau. Thompson's sacrifice fly in foul territory in the sixth plated Ryan Jones.
The Wildcats' bullpen escaped trouble on multiple instances with minimal damage. TCU stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings as ACU got out of the sixth and eighth frames with double plays that both featured Thompson and Grant Watkins.
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.
ACU looks to take its momentum into this weekend's series versus Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. The Wildcats and Texans open the weekend at 6 p.m. Friday ahead of first pitches at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Catcher Kanon Sundgren shined for ACU with a 4-for-4 performance, including a pair of doubles. He drove in a run with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Behind the plate, Sundgren gunned down a would-be base stealer. He's in his first season as a Wildcat following a year at Nebraska and two seasons at Weatherford College.
JT Thompson plated a pair of runs with a fourth-inning RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the sixth to provide a key insurance run. Thompson and Zandt Payne collected two hits each. Payne got the scoring started with an RBI infield single in the third inning.
Collin Adams was credited with the win after keeping the Horned Frogs scoreless in his predetermined three innings. He struck out three batters. David Jeon logged 1.2 scoreless frames, and Brady Coe, Logan Young and Evan Whiteaker recorded one scoreless frame apiece. Whiteaker earned his first save by striking out the side in the ninth to seal the victory.
Payne registered his 15th multi-hit game of the season and reached base safely for the 27th game in a row.
Sundgren got the Wildcats going in the third inning with a double before advancing to third on a wild pitch. He came home on Payne's chopper in the infield. ACU added a pair of runs in the fourth. Nick Arias singled before coming around on Thompson's RBI base hit. Sundgren followed with an RBI single of his own that scored Brady Ladusau. Thompson's sacrifice fly in foul territory in the sixth plated Ryan Jones.
The Wildcats' bullpen escaped trouble on multiple instances with minimal damage. TCU stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings as ACU got out of the sixth and eighth frames with double plays that both featured Thompson and Grant Watkins.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Collin (1-1)
L: Johnson, Nolan (0-2)
S: Whiteaker, Evan (1)
Batting:
RBI: Cramer, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Traeger, Nolan 1
SB: Griffin, Colton 1
CS: Franco, Noah 1 ; Liddington Jr., Rob 1
HBP: Griffin, Colton 1
Batting:
2B: Sundgren, Kanon 2 ; Payne, Zandt 1
RBI: Thompson, JT 2 ; Sundgren, Kanon 1 ; Payne, Zandt 1
SF: Thompson, JT 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arias, Nick 1 ; Ladusau, Brady 1 ; Jones, Ryan 1 ; Sundgren, Kanon 1
SB: Jones, Ryan 1
CS: Thompson, JT 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
4
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballACU Press Conference: Abilene Flying Bison to Play at ACU in 2026
Tuesday, April 07
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
