ABILENE – A three-game weekend series with the Bryant Bulldogs kicks off the
Rick McCarty-era of Abilene Christian baseball at Crutcher Scott Field. The Opening Day first pitch is set for 3 p.m. Friday with junior right-handed pitcher
Spencer Chirpich tabbed to start for the Wildcats vs. Bryant's Tyler Mattison.
Senior southpaw
Derek Scott is slated to start Saturday's 2 p.m. contest for ACU, and it will be a right-handed TBA for Sunday's 11 a.m. finale. Vito Morgese and Steve Theetge are scheduled to be the game two and three starters for Bryant, which won 32 games in 2018 and reached the NCAA Regionals as recently as 2016 after winning the Northeastern Conference Championship.
"Bryant's a seasoned team," said McCarty at Tuesday's press conference. "They've won 40 games three to four times over the last seven years, and they'll expect to win all three games this weekend in addition to their league. Scouts have told us to be ready for their Friday arm (Mattison) and hitter Ryan Ward (.409 / 8 HR / 52 RBI)."
Mattison posted a 3.40 ERA last spring with five wins through 14 appearances and seven starts. He also struck out 53 batters in as many innings.
Chirpich, meanwhile, will be making his D1 and Wildcat debut following two quality seasons at North Iowa Area Community College, where he made second team all-region in 2018.
"Spencer and Derek have earned their starting spots based on everything we measure," said McCarty, who was named head coach of the Wildcats last summer following three years as the Dallas Baptist pitching coach. "We take into play efficiency, command and consistency, and Spencer was hands down the best in our King of the Hill contest.
"Derek also is a complete pitcher. He's a competitor. He likes to pitch, and with a staff that's right-hand dominant it's good have a righty / lefty split between Friday and Saturday."
McCarty further noted that the starters will be on a safe pitch count, and no one will come close to 100 pitches this early in the season. The goal for all three starters is to get their team through the fifth inning with the lead.
The Wildcats have 17 pitchers on its Opening Day roster, nine of whom are returners from last year's team that finished with a 5.88 ERA and 342 strikeouts through 476.1 innings pitched. There were the occasional bright spots, including three shutout victories and a win at TCU, but the pitching staff largely was plagued by inconsistency and control issues that resulted in 73 wild pitches, 57 hit batsmen and 193 walks. Opposing batters also hit above .300 vs. the Wildcats and swiped 91 bases on 110 attempts.
There's quite a bit to fix for McCarty, who will serve as ACU's pitching coach this spring, and while he's seen improvements this offseason in velocity and pitchability he wants to see a further increase in athleticism.
"It's a learning experience," he said, "but we want guys who go out and compete, can repeat a delivery, and finish off a hitter with a breaking ball or change up. I also have to get these players to where they can bounce back and keep getting better."
ACU's offense fared well for most of last spring, finishing with a .274 batting average and 313 runs scored led by all-conference selections, Scott,
Dalon Farkas and Matt Munoz. The Wildcats not only return all their position players last year, but they also bring back a healthy
Luis Trevino, who hit .366 and slugged .508 during his all-conference campaign of 2017.
Trevino is one of five catchers on the roster, and likely will serve as the designated hitter when he's not behind the plate. Junior
Lane Bourland is projected to be the Wildcats' No. 2 catcher.
ACU's returning infielders include first basemen
Riley Donahue and
Koby Claborn, second baseman
Dalton Dunn, shortstops
Robert Salazar and
Zach Smith, and third baseman
Seth Watts. The list of returning outfielders features the aforementioned trio of Farkas, Muñoz and Scott, plus second-year Wildcats
Caleb Kyle and
Colton Eager.
Among the newcomers expected to make an impact in the lineup include Scottsdale College transfer
Michael Herrera and Grayson College product
Ryne Randle.
"I have some real gritty ball players who possess the talent to win a lot of games," said McCarty. "Now, as we start the season I want to see a lot of energy in the dugout. I want bouncing around, and playing with passion that will give us a competitive edge. We need to play fast and with some excitement.
"There's also a lot of leadership on this club, and the 20 seniors we have here have done everything the coaches have asked them to do. They deserve to go out on a good note."
