The Wildcats will return to the plate on Feb. 11 for their season opener against Idaho State.
The Wildcats ended their 2021 season with a record of 14-33, falling in the first round of the Southland Conference tournament to Southeastern Louisiana.
With this being ACU’s first season in the Western Athletic Conference, its schedule adds Lamar, Tarleton State, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin to their conference play.
Head coach Abigail Farler is excited about this new chapter and has high expectations going into her third season at ACU.
“I think that we are going to be a really competitive and aggressive team,” Farler said. “We have a really athletic group this year that seems very connected, so we have high expectations as far as competing with everybody that we have within the schedule this year.”
The Wildcats head home since May 8 for their first home three-game series the weekend of March 4-5 against Stephen F. Austin, starting the WAC play for the season.
ACU will face some tough competition this season including North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. Despite the tough teams, Farler says their biggest competition is themselves.
“I think ultimately our biggest competition is ourselves,” Farler said. “We just need to play our best team all year long and stay consistent, no matter who the opponent is. We’re the biggest element there that I am excited about.”
The Wildcats are excited to bring the heat and show what their new members will bring to the game. Eight first-year members were added to the roster this season, creating a young but fierce team ready to compete. Alongside the younger players, ACU holds value to its three graduate students to bring the experience to the team.
“We have really strong leadership on the team and all of that puts together positive high energy, and optimistic mentality from our crew this year,” Farler said.
Sidney Holman-Mansell, a graduate student pitcher from Belton, is back from Baylor University and ready to bring the Wildcats a winning season.
“I think with a lot of freshmen it’s hard to understand to know what to expect, but all of our girls came in ready to grind it out and win as many games as possible,” Holman-Mansell said.
In the 2021 season, Holman-Mansell finished the season with a 3.97 ERA through 79.1 innings pitched, concluding 72 strikeouts and an 8-5 record.
“I am really excited to get out there on the field and use our good momentum,” Holman-Mansell said. “We are going in with the mindset to dominate. We are all super prepared, meaning we are going to fight for every pitch and fight for every inning, rather than looking at the season as a whole.”
The Wildcats meet Idaho State on February 11 at 10 a.m. for their first game of the season as a part of the UTEP Tournament in El Paso.
