
Photo by: Kaylee Kahn
Wildcats Host Cardinals in Midweek Contest
3/17/2026 10:32:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE - Abilene Christian baseball can establish its longest winning streak of the season when it hosts Incarnate Word at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark. The Wildcats look to build upon a series victory over Loyola Marymount last weekend that saw them take the Saturday and Sunday matchups.
Tuesday's game, previously scheduled for 6 p.m., will be streamed on WAC International.
The Wildcats and the Cardinals met just one week prior on March 11 in San Antonio, where ACU suffered a 13-1 loss in seven innings. Zandt Payne scored the lone run for the Wildcats.
Incarnate Word holds a slight edge in the teams' Division I matchups, leading 15-14 after last week. ACU holds a 12-6 advantage in games played in Abilene, having won the last five games at home since 2021.
Diego Cardenas shined for the Wildcats against the Lions, batting .538 at 7 of 13 with three home runs and nine runs batted in. Six of his seven hits were for extra bases. He raised his season batting average to .338 to match Zandt Payne for the team lead. Cardenas paces the Western Athletic Conference in home runs (10), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.818) and OPS (1.245).
Cardenas' runs batted in are tied for 10th in the country, while his home runs are in a draw for 13th nationally.
JT Thompson went 6 for 13 last weekend, while Gavin Brozozowski was 4 for 11 in his first three starts of the season. Payne and Grant Watkins each belted a pair of home runs, totaling 11 runs batted in. Payne has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
The Wildcats' 33 home runs this season lead the WAC and are good for 19th nationally, while its .497 slugging percentage and 107 walks drawn are in the top 50. ACU's 22-11 win last Sunday was its third run-rule victory of the season.
Tuesday's game, previously scheduled for 6 p.m., will be streamed on WAC International.
The Wildcats and the Cardinals met just one week prior on March 11 in San Antonio, where ACU suffered a 13-1 loss in seven innings. Zandt Payne scored the lone run for the Wildcats.
Incarnate Word holds a slight edge in the teams' Division I matchups, leading 15-14 after last week. ACU holds a 12-6 advantage in games played in Abilene, having won the last five games at home since 2021.
Diego Cardenas shined for the Wildcats against the Lions, batting .538 at 7 of 13 with three home runs and nine runs batted in. Six of his seven hits were for extra bases. He raised his season batting average to .338 to match Zandt Payne for the team lead. Cardenas paces the Western Athletic Conference in home runs (10), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.818) and OPS (1.245).
Cardenas' runs batted in are tied for 10th in the country, while his home runs are in a draw for 13th nationally.
JT Thompson went 6 for 13 last weekend, while Gavin Brozozowski was 4 for 11 in his first three starts of the season. Payne and Grant Watkins each belted a pair of home runs, totaling 11 runs batted in. Payne has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
The Wildcats' 33 home runs this season lead the WAC and are good for 19th nationally, while its .497 slugging percentage and 107 walks drawn are in the top 50. ACU's 22-11 win last Sunday was its third run-rule victory of the season.
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