ACU’s 2026 Campaign Wraps Up in WAC Tournament Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 21

Mesa, Ariz.

9 p.m. (CT)

Abilene Christian

26-31

Utah Tech

35-23

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Abilene Christian	1	0	0	1	2	0	1	0	0	5	9	0
Utah Tech	0	0	1	0	1	4	0	0	X	6	11	4

Rick McCarty speaks during a mound visit in ACU's WAC Tournament matchup with Utah Tech in Mesa, Ariz. on May 21, 2026.

Photo by: Western Athletic Conference

ACU’s 2026 Campaign Wraps Up in WAC Tournament Quarterfinals

5/22/2026 2:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Luke White

MESA, Ariz. - Abilene Christian baseball's 2026 campaign came to a close Thursday night with a 6-5 loss to Utah Tech at the University Credit Union Western Athletic Conference Tournament. The Wildcats wrapped up their final season in the WAC at Hohokam Stadium before the league rebrands to the United Athletic Conference.

ACU led 4-2 through five frames before a four-run sixth inning put the Trailblazers on top. The Wildcats got within a run in the seventh, but couldn't do any more damage.

JT Thompson powered ACU with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with two runs batted in and a run scored. In his first season with the Wildcats, the Abilene native finishes the year as the team's leader among qualified hitters with a .339 batting average and 64 hits.

Thompson registered his 18th multi-hit game of the season, including his seventh with three hits. It's his 10th multi-RBI effort while reaching base safely in the final 27 games of the year.

Maddox Miesse, one of two four-year seniors for ACU, collected a pair of hits and scored twice alongside Diego Cardenas. Each piece of Miesse's .358/.496/.621 slash line is a top-10 single-season mark in the program's Division I era, with his on-base percentage ranking third.

In 191 career games, Miesse's .408 on-base percentage ranks in ACU's top 10, and his 46 hit-by-pitches are tied for the most in program history. He ranks third with 97 walks.

Cardenas put a bow on one of the most outstanding seasons in team history. His 25 home runs are tied for the most in a single season, and his 69 RBIs are an ACU record. Cardenas' .727 slugging percentage ranks third, and his runs scored, doubles and walks are in the top 10. He has 14 games with multiple runs scored.

The Wildcats' 92 home runs this year are the most in program history.

ACU got on the board in the opening frame following Cardenas' two-out double, his conference-leading 43rd extra-base hit. A Utah Tech fielding error on Nick Arias' line drive allowed Cardenas to race home.

Tied at 1 in the fourth inning, the Wildcats retook the lead thanks to Thompson's heads-up baserunning. He singled and stole second base before taking advantage of a throwing error and a passed ball to score.

Two more ACU runs came across in the fifth inning with two outs. Another fielding error induced by Arias plated Miesse, while Thompson's RBI single made it a 4-1 ballgame.

The Trailblazers scored five runs in the fifth and sixth innings to grab a 6-4 advantage. The Wildcats' final run scored in the seventh inning on Thompson's sacrifice fly.