This weekend the baseball team will complete a weekend series competing against Utah Tech University to celebrate the grand opening of the newly finished Bullock Brothers Ballpark.
After going 0-3 in its last series, the team will go into the series against UTU with hopes of a better result. With the three losses in the last series, the Wildcats are now 17-14 on the season and 2-7 in Western Athletic Conference games.
The Wildcats struggled defensively in their last series against Sacramento State University, giving up 36 runs over the weekend. Throughout the series, the cold, wet and windy conditions did not help the Wildcats as the wind carried some of the balls out of the park.
“We didn’t do a very good job at executing some pitches early in the weekend,” Head Coach Rick McCarty said. “We caught some tough breaks with the elements in the weather.”
To get back on track this weekend McCarty said his team needs to get back to the basics and do the simple things right.
Brett Lanman, sophomore left-handed pitcher from Fairview, pitched in the Saturday game giving up nine runs. Lanman, normally a standout pitcher for the Wildcats, struggled early with the long ball but was ultimately able to get nine strikeouts.
McCarty said he was proud of the way Lanman battled back to secure those strikeouts and believes that he will be confident moving forward.
This weekend’s series marks a new era for ACU baseball as it will be the grand opening of Bullock Brothers Ballpark.
Formerly known as just Crutcher Scott Field, it will now be known as Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark. After raising 19 million dollars the construction on the new ballpark was able to begin after the final home game last season. In just under a year the construction is complete.
Vice President of Athletics Zack Lassiter, said that the new ballpark allows athletics to achieve its mission for students in helping athletics perform, growing in their faith and performing well in the classroom. He also said that the new facilities will give the baseball program a chance to compete for championships.
The origin of the ballpark’s name comes from two former players Joe Bullock and Robert Bullock. It is the first time ACU has been able to name one of its stadiums after former team members. The name is a nod to the history of the baseball program which was one of the first sports at ACU.
Bullock Brothers Ballpark will also now serve as a community experience as fans can come to enjoy the experience the ballpark delivers.
“From a community aspect, the experience of Bullock Brothers Ballpark is now going to match the quality of experience that people have at ACU football and ACU basketball games,” Lassiter said.
