Thursday, May 14
St. George, Utah
7 p.m. (CT)
Abilene Christian
at
Utah Tech
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
Wildcats Wrap Up Regular Season in Utah Versus Trailblazers
5/13/2026 9:36:00 PM | Baseball
ST. GEORGE, Utah - Abilene Christian baseball finishes off the regular season on the road versus Utah Tech from Thursday to Saturday at Bruce Hurst Field. The Wildcats look for their fourth consecutive series victory entering the University Credit Union Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Mesa, Ariz. on May 19-23.
The series begins at 7 p.m. (CT) Thursday ahead of a 7 p.m. (CT) first pitch on Friday. The regular season wraps up at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday. Each game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Matchups between the Wildcats and the Trailblazers have been one-sided, with ACU winning nine of 10 matchups between the two opponents. The Wildcats have won each of the series' last nine games dating back to 2023 and have swept the previous two series, including in St. George in 2024.
ACU is tied for third in the WAC standings with Sacramento State, while Utah Tech and UT Arlington are a game behind in a draw for fifth place.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU closed out its home slate with its final nonconference game versus UT Rio Grande Valley before securing its third straight WAC series win over Utah Valley. Diego Cardenas went 6 for 13 at the plate to slash .462/.650/.923 with a pair of home runs. He scored nine times. JT Thompson stayed hot with a pair of four-RBI games versus the Wolverines and hit .333. Aidan Coleman allowed just three hits in a seven-inning outing on Friday, while Cade McGarrh and Carson Wallace combined for 7.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen with four strikeouts.
COMING ALIVE IN MESA – Making their fifth and final trip to the University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament, the Wildcats have played some of their best baseball at Hohokam Stadium. ACU has advanced to the championship game in two of four appearances, doing so in its debut year in 2022 and in 2025. Both runs have come after dropping the first game of the tournament. ACU took down No. 1 Sacramento State last year and beat top-seeded Grand Canyon twice in 2022 to advance to each title game.
ON-BASE MACHINE – Zandt Payne has displayed remarkable consistency this season, starting each of the Wildcats' 48 games with a .318 batting average and a .462 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 leads the team with 40 walks and has been hit by a pitch 13 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 86 home runs. Diego Cardenas is tied for eighth nationally and the WAC lead with 22 long balls, while Grant Watkins is drawn for 19th with 19 homers. ACU is one of four teams with two hitters ranked within the top 20. Over the past two seasons, Watkins and Cardenas have combined for 76 home runs with 35 and 41, respectively. Cardenas also leads the conference with 62 RBIs, a .733 slugging percentage and a 1.167 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.
LAST RUN IN THE WAC – The Wildcats enter the final season of the Western Athletic Conference before it is rebranded into the United Athletic Conference, beginning with the 2026-27 athletic year. ACU will join the UAC alongside WAC partners UT Arlington and Tarleton State. The Texas trio will join Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Little Rock, North Alabama and West Georgia.
The series begins at 7 p.m. (CT) Thursday ahead of a 7 p.m. (CT) first pitch on Friday. The regular season wraps up at 1 p.m. (CT) Saturday. Each game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Matchups between the Wildcats and the Trailblazers have been one-sided, with ACU winning nine of 10 matchups between the two opponents. The Wildcats have won each of the series' last nine games dating back to 2023 and have swept the previous two series, including in St. George in 2024.
ACU is tied for third in the WAC standings with Sacramento State, while Utah Tech and UT Arlington are a game behind in a draw for fifth place.
LOOKBACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU closed out its home slate with its final nonconference game versus UT Rio Grande Valley before securing its third straight WAC series win over Utah Valley. Diego Cardenas went 6 for 13 at the plate to slash .462/.650/.923 with a pair of home runs. He scored nine times. JT Thompson stayed hot with a pair of four-RBI games versus the Wolverines and hit .333. Aidan Coleman allowed just three hits in a seven-inning outing on Friday, while Cade McGarrh and Carson Wallace combined for 7.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen with four strikeouts.
COMING ALIVE IN MESA – Making their fifth and final trip to the University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament, the Wildcats have played some of their best baseball at Hohokam Stadium. ACU has advanced to the championship game in two of four appearances, doing so in its debut year in 2022 and in 2025. Both runs have come after dropping the first game of the tournament. ACU took down No. 1 Sacramento State last year and beat top-seeded Grand Canyon twice in 2022 to advance to each title game.
ON-BASE MACHINE – Zandt Payne has displayed remarkable consistency this season, starting each of the Wildcats' 48 games with a .318 batting average and a .462 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 leads the team with 40 walks and has been hit by a pitch 13 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 86 home runs. Diego Cardenas is tied for eighth nationally and the WAC lead with 22 long balls, while Grant Watkins is drawn for 19th with 19 homers. ACU is one of four teams with two hitters ranked within the top 20. Over the past two seasons, Watkins and Cardenas have combined for 76 home runs with 35 and 41, respectively. Cardenas also leads the conference with 62 RBIs, a .733 slugging percentage and a 1.167 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.
LAST RUN IN THE WAC – The Wildcats enter the final season of the Western Athletic Conference before it is rebranded into the United Athletic Conference, beginning with the 2026-27 athletic year. ACU will join the UAC alongside WAC partners UT Arlington and Tarleton State. The Texas trio will join Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Little Rock, North Alabama and West Georgia.
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