Miesse, Palmer Finish What They Started in Four-Year Journeys With ACU Baseball

Maddox Miesse and Blaine Palmer's busy Saturday will begin with them donning a cap and gown at Moody Coliseum and wrap up with them wearing cleats at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark.

Both Abilene Christian baseball seniors will walk the stage at Saturday's 10 a.m. undergraduate commencement ceremony. A celebration will have to wait, though, as they head to the ballpark in time for a 3 p.m. first pitch versus Utah Valley. Miesse and Palmer will be recognized in a pregame ceremony honoring the Wildcats' 13 seniors.

"Me and Blaine have been here a long time," utilityman Miesse said. "We've watched four senior days and now it's finally our senior day. It's not too emotional, but I'm more excited than anything, just a changing of the colors, you know? I've had fun watching the last four years, and now it's my turn to get to celebrate a little bit."

The pair represents something of a rarity in the modern era of college athletics, with both spending the entirety of their four-year careers with Abilene Christian baseball. Miesse and Palmer arrived on campus in 2023 and have played a part in 126 victories, including last season's Western Athletic Conference regular season championship.

"Just having guys stay for four years, it's not really heard of now," the right-handed pitcher Palmer said. "So, I think it is kind of cool being able to say we've been to the same college all four years and graduating where we started."

So, in a world where the grass is often seen as greener on the other side, why stay?

"I just kind of bought into coach Rick McCarty and all the stuff he's brought to the table," Palmer said. "He shoots you straight, man, and you get what you're told. You come in, and you know what you're getting. Same with [associate head coach] Blaze [Lambert] and [assistant coach Daniel] Furuto. … On the pitching side, man, you know what you're getting into, and I like that from a coach. I like being shot straight."

For both, the answer comes down to the relationships and team culture only found at ACU.

"I've just bought in since Day 1," Miesse said. They gave me a chance when I was young, so why switch up on them? Just the culture here, I don't think it's like anywhere else. If I could sell that to a future Wildcat, that's what I would do. It's not just about the winning or the baseball, it's about who you become while you're here."

Miesse has appeared in 184 games in an ACU uniform, collecting 158 hits at a .271 average and a .402 on-base percentage. He's driven in 98 runs with 11 home runs and 37 extra-base hits. The Adkins, Texas native has grown into a Swiss Army Knife for the Wildcats' defense, making appearances at second base, catcher, third base and the outfield this season.

Palmer, a local product out of Buffalo Gap and Jim Ned High School, has been a steady arm out of the ACU bullpen, building a 6-1 record over 47 appearances. He's logged 63 strikeouts in 57.2 innings.

Above their growth as players on the field, Miesse and Palmer spoke to their development as men off of it and finding an identity that transcends just being an athlete. It ties into head coach Rick McCarty's emphasis on realizing one's value as an individual and as a student above just as an athlete.

"You're developing into more than just a baseball player," Palmer said. "Baseball's not going to be forever. As a freshman, you ask me this, my personality was baseball. The older I've gotten, especially now being a senior, I've got to develop into a man. Something that I can take outside of baseball when I join the workforce or go into whatever I do after baseball. Baseball's a short time in your life that sets you up for the rest of your life."

In Oct. 2024, the ACU baseball team lived out the service value of the program with a transformative mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Student-athletes and coaches participated in numerous service and spiritual activities, with 19 individuals, including Miesse, getting baptized. He described the trip as one of the most impactful moments from his time at ACU.

"Had I not come here, I don't think that's a part of my story," Miesse said. "Just that growth alone, I feel like that's something that is my testimony. Baseball brought me into it and showed me things that I would have never seen, but it also got me closer to God. Just having that identity outside of baseball … Now, I'm a Christ follower who happens to play baseball. That's where I've seen the most growth, is in my spiritual journey and all those things."

Miesse will graduate with his Bachelor's in nutrition, while Palmer will earn his degree in finance. Upon the conclusion of his baseball career, Miesse said he looks to pursue a career in firefighting while exploring a personal business involving personal fitness and nutrition. Palmer is preparing for a career in sales.

As they enter the next stage of their lives, Miesse and Palmer reflect upon the ACU baseball program's impact beyond wins and losses. Miesse said the lessons he's learned and the experience he's gained as a Wildcat have shaped the way he approaches life outside of baseball.

"Everything that Rick has shared with us, he's given us a lot of golden nuggets and life advice in Foundations [chapel] on Thursdays or just when he's talking to us at the field," Miesse said. "Baseball has set me up to succeed in life, and it's not going to be guaranteed, but it's going to give me a good opportunity just to keep working hard and keep moving."

Palmer described a coaching staff that pours into its student-athletes to form a lasting brotherhood among them. While Miesse and Palmer close their chapters as ACU baseball players, they've reinforced the idea that there's no such thing as a "former Wildcat."

"Every coach here has done something, in a different way they've impacted my life," Palmer said. "One thing that Coach McCarty does well, when he recruits, he doesn't just bring in good baseball players, he brings in good guys. It's something that makes every day fun, because I see these guys everyday, from the start of the semester to the end of baseball season. So having a group of guys that you enjoy coming to see, not a lot of turmoil in the program at all, it makes every day 10 times more fun and enjoyable.

"These are all guys that if I ever need something or I or want to talk to or something, these are all guys that I can go to. I think Coach McCarty does a good job in recruiting more than just baseball players."

Schedule

Miesse, Palmer Finish What They Started in Four-Year Journeys With ACU Baseball

Players Mentioned

Maddox Miesse

Blaine Palmer

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