By Daniel Johnson, Sports Editor
To say the ACU baseball team is favored to win the Lone Star Conference Postseason tournament this weekend is an understatement.
The Wildcats are coming off of the most successful regular season in ACU’s history. It is the only nationally ranked team competing, has already defeated every team in the tournament and has an astounding 24-3 home record.
The tournament is theirs to lose.
“It really is up to us,” said head coach Britt Bonneau, who was named LSC Coach of the Year. “Tournament time you’ve got to pitch and play defense well.”
ACU will host the LSC tournament at Crutcher Scott Field this weekend in pursuit of ACU’s fourth LSC tournament championship and an automatic bid to the South Central Regional tournament.
In addition to home field advantage, ACU has the advantage of the nation’s best closer, Jameson Maj.
Maj already broke the ACU and LSC records for saves in a season after recording 19 saves in the regular season and is only two saves away from breaking the NCAA record.
“I guess I’ve just been put in a position where I can get them,” Maj said.
Maj, who was named the LSC Pitcher of the Year, ended the regular season with 63 strikeouts, a team best 1.12 ERA and has only allowed six earned runs in 48 innings of work.
“Having a closer like Jameson is a huge difference,” Bonneau said. “Its good when our starting guys know they’re giving up the ball to someone who is consistent.”
Two of those “starting guys” are all-LSC pitchers Trey Watten and Chris Wiman.
Watten, who pitches, starts at shortstop and bats fifth in ACU’s lineup, was named LSC Player of the Year after batting a .371 for 33 RBI and a team-leading 17 doubles while going 9-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his first year to ever pitch college baseball.
“Personally, I want to win the tournament,” Watten said. “I never won a district title or anything like that in high school, and we lost in the finals last year, so I want to win it.”
Wiman, who was named starting pitcher for the all-Conference first team, leads the Wildcats’ pitching corps with 69 strikeouts and has the second-best ERA of ACU’s starters, behind Watten.
Wiman will most likely start in ACU’s first game of the tournament against LSC South opponent Texas A&M-Kingsville, a team ACU beat three out of four times in the regular season.
Two teams that may cause problems for ACU are LSC South runner up Angelo State (No. 3 seed) and LSC North champions Central Oklahoma (No. 2 seed).
ACU split a series with both Angelo and Central Oklahoma this season and the Wildcats are 5-4 in the LSC tournament against UCO and 1-0 against Angelo.
ACU’s first game will be against Texas A&M-Kingsville, a team ACU beat three out four times when the two played during the regular season.
Out of the six teams competing, ACU has the most wins historically (22), has made the most championship game appearances (seven) and has won the most tournament titles (four).
But regardless of who ACU plays or ACU’s past success, Maj said all the pressure is on the Wildcats shoulders.
“You just got to go out there and do what you do, and the rest will come,” Maj said.
ACU will play Kingsville at 7 p.m. Saturday at Crutcher Scott Field.
