Like many other Wildcat teams this year, baseball is about to embark on its first season within the Western Athletic Conference.
The reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions have an expansive and competitive schedule for the 2022 season. This schedule includes home and away matchups with preseason top 25 programs, 14th-ranked Texas Tech and 17th-ranked Texas Christian University.
The home schedule includes a Wednesday night matchup versus Baylor, a four-game series versus Michigan State of the Big Ten, and a two-game series versus the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West.
For conference play, the Wildcats get to meet up with former Southland Conference foes Sam Houston, Lamar and SFA. Along with games versus long-time rival Tarleton and future WAC opponent UT-Arlington.
“You know we’re gonna play an extremely challenging and healthy schedule as our roster grows; you know the pro prospects will grow, and that’s the venues they need to pitch in, and you know it gives them an opportunity to perform at a higher level,” head coach Rick McCarty said. “We’ve got, as I mentioned earlier to note, we’ve got some really high standards here, so it’s not like we are hoping to win those games like we’re gonna go in expecting to play well and expecting to have a chance to win at the end.”
McCarty’s team is coming off a groundbreaking season in Division 1, where the Wildcats went 36-21 with a 25-13 conference record. Sadly, the team made a late-round exit in the Southland Conference tournament, losing to Sam Houston in the semi-final rounds one and two.
Last season the team was led by then-senior outfielder Colton Eager of North Richland Hills. Eager, who slugged .342/.421/.604 in his 2021 breakout season, winning Southland Conference Hitter of the Year. Beating out Sam Houston’s sophomore outfielder Colton Cowser of Houston, who was drafted fifth overall by the Baltimore Orioles.
“I just feel like my teammates put me in a really good position last year,” Eager said. “We had a lot of returners from the last year and a couple of newcomers with Grayson, Brett, and then having Mitchell and Hunter all those guys coming back this year. It’s just gonna set us up for a lot of success.”
After returning for his graduate season, Eager is beginning with a flurry of preseason honors, including WAC preseason player of the year and WAC preseason all-conference team. Other Wildcats receiving preseason all-conference honors are junior outfielder Grayson Tatrow of Mansfield and senior designated hitter Tommy Cruz of Guayama, Puerto Rico.
The team won preseason honors, being selected to win the WAC southwest division and receiving all possible first-place votes. Opposite of ACU, GCU was chosen to win the West division, with Sacramento State close behind.
The Wildcats will begin their season on Feb. 18 versus the North Dakota State Bison at 4:05 p.m. at Crutcher Scott Field.
