After a hard Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship loss in 2022, the Wildcats are looking to get payback and come and take the championship title back to Abilene in 2023.
“I’m excited and I think our team is excited,” head coach Rick McCarty said. “Opening day is always special if you’re a baseball person, so our group’s excited. We’ve been together quite a bit and they’ve been going at it pretty good.”
ACU ended its 2022 season with a 30-29 overall record and a 14-16 conference record, sending them into the WAC Tournament with the fourth seed. After taking their first loss against the #1 seed Grand Canyon, the Wildcats went on a four-game winning streak, beating Grand Canyon twice, ending their tournament run. ACU met New Mexico State in the championship game, falling in a hard loss, 1-7.
With also making historic wins against Michigan State, TCU, and Texas Tech, the Wildcats look to continue to make history. Looking to gain high-categorized wins, ACU opens its season with a four-game home series against Nevada.
The next week, the Wildcats travel to Arlington to play Oklahoma in Globe Life Field for the College Baseball Series presented by Higginbotham. Oklahoma made it to the 2022 NCAA College World Series Finals against Ole Miss, where they fell short of the championship. This competition is stiff but one that McCarty believes that they can go out and play some good baseball.
“The OU game at Globe Life will be a really neat experience for our team and program and just the Metroplex itself,” McCarty said. “It’s going to be exciting and we want everyone in the big country to come out. We’re excited to play against the country’s best so we’re looking to add to that signature win.”
ACU starts off WAC play in early March against Stephen F. Austin with UT Arlington, Sacramento State, Sam Houston, Grand Canyon, UTRGV, California Baptist, Utah Tech, Tarleton and Seattle U to follow. The Wildcats also find themselves meeting TCU, Texas Tech, and Baylor twice this season.
With 19 players either graduated or moved on, the Wildcats were down half a team from the 2022 season. Despite the great loss in numbers, ACU has crucial returners, giving the team experienced competition. Coming into the 2023 season, ACU signed 12 transfers and nine freshmen, giving the team a new look. With having several young, new players, McCarty is proud of the way they have carried and prepared themselves for the upcoming season.
“I think when you look at themes across college baseball, there’s going to be some that will continue to be old,” McCarty said. “I think we do have some older pieces but how quickly you can get the newer guys to speed is going to be how we get off to a great start and they are proving that.”
Moving into the season, ACU ranked fourth on the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll with 100 points, behind Grand Canyon, Sam Houston and California Baptist. Along with the honor, three players were named to the Preseason All-WAC Team, including junior shortstop Bash Randle, senior outfielder Grayson Tatrow and senior catcher Tanner Tweedt.
The Wildcats host Nevada this weekend for a four-game series at 4:05 Friday, 2:05 Saturday, 2:05 Sunday, and 12:05 Monday. Friday and Monday’s games will stream on ESPN+ and Saturday and Sunday’s games streaming on WAC International.
