By Daniel Johnson, Sports Writer
The top-ranked Wildcats will be one step closer to their goal of another College World Series berth this weekend if they successfully protect their home turf and win the LSC Postseason Baseball Championship Tournament at Crutcher Scott Field.
The conference extended the double elimination tournament to include six brackets rather than four this year, after a one-year hiatus in 2005. ACU earned the right to host the tournament after winning the Lone Star Conference South Division in 2005.
The top three teams from the South and North Divisions of the LSC will meet this weekend to determine a conference champion. Angelo State, ACU and West Texas A&M will represent the South; the University of Central Oklahoma, Cameron University and Southeastern Oklahoma will represent the North.
The winner of the tournament will clinch a spot in the regional tournament scheduled for May 17-20-a spot the Wildcats are eager to secure.
Head coach Britt Bonneau said a win in the tournament will be the first step to the team’s postseason goals after a successful season. The men’s first obstacle will be a team the Wildcats struggled against earlier in the season, Cameron University.
Cameron handed the Wildcats their only series loss of the season and finished their regular season second in the North with a record of 18-4. The Cameron Aggies will most likely start their ace Kacy Groves, who pitched a no hitter the last time he faced the Wildcat lineup.
But Bonneau said he is not worried about Groves on the mound because of a number of factors.
“We hit the ball well at their place the last time we played them,” Bonneau said. “And this time we’re playing at home and nine innings instead of seven, so we should be able to get hits on whoever they throw.”
The Wildcats’ ace Chris Wiman will start in their first game of the tournament. Wiman pitched two one-hitters this season and leads the conference with 78 strikeouts. Wiman also leads the starting pitchers with a 9-3 record and an opposing batting average of .220.
“Wiman is a gamer who wants the ball in his hands,” said pitching coach Coy Polk. “He can work inside and outside with his fastball and gives 110 percent no matter who we’re playing.”
Despite splitting their final series of the season with West Texas A&M and finishing second in the South, the Wildcats had a season record of 40-14 with a .339 team batting average and a 4.47 cumulative ERA. ACU is tied with rival Angelo State at .741 for the best winning percentage.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position to play for a conference title and possibly go to regional,” Bonneau said. “It’s a brand new season now, and if we play good baseball and take care of the ball, we should be successful this weekend.”
ACU’s first game of the LSC postseason championship tournament will be at 4 p.m. Saturday. Free student passes may be obtained after Chapel Friday or at the athletics offices in the Teague Special Events Center.
