After a dominant weekend, sweeping conference rival Incarnate Word, the Wildcats prepare for an out of conference match up against the University of North Texas.
The Mean Green are 22-20 this season and 9-9 in Conference USA play, but UNT is just 4-6 in its last ten games.
UNT is a resilient team and has big wins over Baylor and Texas Tech, both teams the Wildcats have fallen to this season. The Mean Green defeated the Bears 3-2 in Waco on February 19 and dropped the Red Raiders 12-11 at Rocky Johnson Field in Lubbock, but UNT suffered blowout losses to Oklahoma State 10-2 in Denton and were defeated 13-1 in five innings in Stillwater, a team ACU came up just short against in a 5-3 loss in non-conference play.
“UNT is a good team, and they will play well but we just have to play our game,” junior shortstop Peyton Hedrick said. “We just have to bring all three aspects of the game, and relax and play how we have been and it’ll result in a win.”
ACU pitchers Sidney Holman and Hannah Null have both been dominant this season, recording 26 wins between the two of them, along with 232 strikeouts. Hedrick leads the team with a .370 batting average and has 12 home runs, while senior outfielder Taylor Brown bats .347 and has a team-high 52 hits.
The Mean Green pitching staff is led senior hurler Jessica Elwood, who has compiled a 21-9 record and 39 strikeouts with a 4.11 ERA. Infielder Kelli Schkade leads the team with a .360 batting average and is slugging .640 on the year.
“It’s good for us to see better pitching,” senior third baseman Casey May-Huff said. “And at this point in the season it’s about reps at the plate and on defense,” she said.
May-Huff has posted fielding percentage .925 so far this season, and has one start at pitcher in two appearances.
The game begins at 6 p.m. at Poly Wells Field. Following the non-conference match up, the Wildcats will travel to Huntsville for a conference series this weekend with Sam Houston State.
