The ACU baseball team will put their 5-1 record to the test this weekend against the defending Big XII champions.
The Wildcats announced Monday that they will welcome Kansas State to Crutcher Scott Field, Sunday at 3 p.m. as part of the Bourland-Ardoin Classic. ACU will also play Missouri State Friday night at 7 p.m. and Grand Canyon University Saturday at 3 p.m.
“We host the Big XII champions in Kansas State,” head coach Britt Bonneau said. “Then of course Missouri State, who everybody knows is a big hitting team, means we are going to see some competition we have never seen around here before. It is going to be exciting and I think the city of Abilene is going to enjoy it as well.”
Bad weather in the north has caused many teams to cancel games, which helped Kansas State and Missouri State find their way to Abilene in search of better baseball weather.
“When cold fronts hit those schools up north and they can’t play and they have already missed some games, they start looking south to find games,” Bonneau said. “I have known coach Hill at Kansas State for a while, so when he called and tried to fit in some games, we were eager for the opportunity and Grand Canyon was open for that. It turns out that we are going to have a really good classic down here this weekend.”
The move to Div. I opened plenty of doors for the baseball team. ACU will face off against Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Arizona, Oklahoma and Arizona State later this season. However, Kansas State and Missouri State will be two of the highest profile teams to play ACU in Abilene this season.
“We are still very young, but we need to play this type of competition so we know where we need to be in three years,” Bonneau said. “We all know that this is a process that is kind of step-by-step. We just need to continue to do what we do well. If we do that and have fun we have nothing to lose here.”
The games have generated energy around campus since the announcement.
“We have a lot of excitement around here,” Bonneau said. “For a big team to come and play at Crutcher Scott Field for Abilene is a lot of fun just talking about it.”
The Bourland-Ardoin Classic starts with Kansas State vs. Grand Canyon Friday at 1 p.m. ACU’s first game in the classic will be Friday at 7 p.m. against Missouri State.
