OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2023 MACU baseball season is set to get underway this weekend as the Evangels will head to Hobbs, N.M. for a four-game series at the University of the Southwest. MACU will take on the Mustangs in a noon (1 p.m. CST) doubleheader at Jake "The Jake" Williams Field on Saturday before closing out the series with a noon (1 p.m. CST) doubleheader on Sunday.
 
MACU SEASON PREVIEW

• 2022 Record: 32-22 (12-12 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. Ozarks (Mo.) – 4-3 (11 Inn.) – May 21, 2022 – NCCAA Championships
• Top Returners (Position)
  • Andrew Enwiya – SR – OF
    • .419 BA (65-155), 12 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 42 R, 27 BB, 8 SB, .787 SLG%, .519 OBP, 1.306 OPS
  • Isaiah Leon – SO – 2B/OF
    • .406 BA (69-170), 11 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 66 R, 36 BB, 14 SB, .641 SLG%, .521 OBP, 1.162 OPS
  • German Sepulveda – SR – 1B
    • .349 BA (45-129), 8 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 26 R, .589 SLG%, .432 OBP, 1.021 OPS
  • Yan Ely Adames – GR – C
    • .348 BA (63-181), 16 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 21 R, 7 SB, .530 SLG%, .401 OBP, .931 OPS
• Top Returners (Pitchers)
  • Zane Robeaux – SR – RHP
    • 7-4 W-L, 5.29 ERA, 14 GP, 14 GS, 1 CG, 80 IP, 71 H, 55 R, 47 ER, 41 BB, 97 SO, .237 OBA
  • Kelton Lachelt – JR – RHP
    • 7-5 W-L, 4.53 ERA, 25 GP, 2 GS, 43.2 IP, 52 H, 34 R, 22 ER, 14 BB, 38 SO, .302 OBA
  • Cameron Brown – JR – RHP
    • 2-7 W-L, 7.89 ERA, 14 GP, 13 GS, 1 CG, 51.1 IP, 65 H, 55 R, 45 ER, 34 BB, 49 SO, .316 OBA
• Top Newcomers (Position)
  • Noel McGarry-Doyle – SO – OF – Southeastern CC (Iowa)
    • 2022 Stats: .344 BA (63-183), 18 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 61 R, 37 BB, 18 SB, .612 SLG%, .514 OBP, 1.126 OPS
  • Conner McKinney – JR – 1B – Citrus College (Calif.)
    • 2022 Stats: .387 BA (55-142), 14 2B, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 29 R, 13 BB, .697 SLG%, .470 OBP, 1.167 OPS
  • Cole Fuecker – JR – INF – North Iowa Area CC
    • 2022 Stats: .345 BA (61-177), 15 2B, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 41 R, 20 BB, 10 SB, .599 SLG%, .420 OBS, 1.019 OPS
• Top Newcomers (Pitchers)
  • Isaac Baez – JR – RHP – Allan Hancock College (Calif.)
    • 2022 Stats: 1-3 W-L, 5.13 ERA, 13 GP, 6 GS, 33.1 IP, 36 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 17 BB, 32 SO
  • Ryan Harney – SO – RHP – Citrus College (Calif.)
    • 2022 Stats: 5-4 W-L, 4.69 ERA, 18 GP, 7 GS, 86.1 IP, 102 H, 48 R, 45 ER, 18 BB, 66 SO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off its winningest season in the NAIA Era (2008-present) as the Evangels finished the year with a 32-22 overall record as well as recorded its first ever .500 or better mark in the elite Sooner Athletic Conference after going 12-12 in league play.
  • The 2022 campaign marked just the second 30-plus win season since 2004 as the last time the Evangels amassed 30 or more wins, it came in the 31-25 season in 2005.
  • The 2023 MACU baseball squad returns an elite lineup. After placing a program record six players on the All-Sooner Athletic Conference team, the Evangels return five of their six honorees, headlined by First Team recipients Andrew Enwiya, Isaiah Leon and Yan Ely Adames, while MACU also returns Second Team All-SAC recipients Zane Robeaux and German Sepulveda.
  • Last season, Enwiya posted one of the best seasons for a MACU baseball player in the history of the program, notching NAIA Era top 10 marks in batting average (.419, 2^nd), slugging percentage (.787, 2^nd), home runs (13, 2^nd), total bases (122, 2^nd), on-base percentage (.519, 3^rd), triples (3, 3^rd), runs-batted-in (50, 5^th), hits (65, 7^th) and walks (27, 8^th).
  • As just a freshman, Leon also found himself in the record book multiple times, shattering the program's single-season runs record (66) as well as tying the single-season triples record (4), while also notching top 10 marks in: batting average (.406, 3^rd), on-base percentage (.521, 2^nd), walks (36, 2^nd), hits (69, 5^th), total bases (109, 8^th), slugging percentage (.461, 9^th) and stolen bases (14, 9^th).
  • Becoming MACU's first three-time First Team All-SAC honoree, Yan Ely Adames will be seeking a fourth honor behind the plate for the Evangels. While Adames and Leon each notched a program record six hits in a single game last year, Adames led the team with 16 doubles, tying the fifth-most in a single season in the NAIA Era while also tying Enwiya for the team-lead in RBIs with 50.
  • Overall, the Evangels return their top six hitters from a season ago. On-top of an All-SAC Second Team honoree in Sepulveda, the Evangels also return starting third baseman Ryan Reed and starting first baseman Devon Villanueva.
  • In the off-season, Mid-America Christian added even more stellar bats to its already potent hitting lineup with the additions of Noel McGarry-Doyle, Conner McKinney and Cole Fuecker.
  • A transfer from Southeastern Community College out of Iowa, McGarry-Doyle is a strong prospect out of Canada, who was on the Canadian Junior National Team in high school and was named to the MLB Prospect list. The Maple, Ontario, Canada native put up big numbers from the plate last year, mashing for a 1.126 OPS with nine homers, 56 RBIs and scored 61 runs.
  • After competing for Ottawa (Ariz.) as a freshman before transferring to Citrus College his sophomore year, McKinney also put up monster numbers at the dish in 2022. Notching a 1.167 OPS, McKinney bashed 14 doubles and 10 homers while hitting an efficient .387 batting average to garner Co-Western State Conference MVP and Second Team All-Region accolades.
  • Another northern prospect in Fuecker, the Sauk Rapids, Minn. Native comes to MACU after a stellar stint at North Iowa Area Community College. The junior infielder was one of the top bats in a potent Trojans lineup, swatting .345 with 15 doubles and 10 homers while posting a 1.019 OPS.
  • While the Evangels graduated one of its best pitchers in program history in Frensly Leito, MACU returns two of its top three pitchers in the starting rotation in Robeaux and Cameron Brown as well as returning one of its top closers in program history in Kelton Lachelt
  • Robeaux, who earned All-SAC Second Team acclaim, recorded the fifth-most strikeouts in a season in the NAIA Era (97) while also tying the second-most wins in a year with seven. Robeaux was a reliable starter in 2022, making the fourth-most starts in the NAIA Era (14) and tossed the eighth-most innings (80).
  • In his second season on the bump for MACU, Brown made 14 appearances and 13 starts, throwing 51.1 innings while posting a 7.89 ERA.
  • In his first year with the Evangels, Lachelt put up some of the best numbers by a MACU reliever in the NAIA Era. Tying Robeaux's second-best wins mark by going 7-5, the Henderson, Nev. product tied Blaine Garriott's (2013) single-season appearances record with 25 while also tying the second-most saves in a year with four. Overall, Lachelt boasted a 4.53 ERA and was a reliable reliever, allowing just 14 walks while striking out 38 in 43.2 innings of work.
  • While losing three of its top bullpen options in Joshua Fernandez, Christian Ballard and Luuk ter Beek, Mid-America Christian also added some strong arms, which include Isaac Baez from Allan Hancock College and Ryan Harney from Citrus College.
  • In three seasons at Allan Hancock, Baez appeared in 33 games and made nine starts, posting a 5.28 ERA while notching efficient 39 walks to 72 strikeout ratio over 76.2 innings of work. Baez is coming off his best season with the Bulldogs, recording a 5.13 ERA while walking just 17 batters and tallying 32 strikeouts for an 8.64 strikeouts per nine-inning ratio.
  • Joining former teammate McKinney, Harney was the top pitcher for Citrus. Seeing action in 18 games and making seven starts, Harney turned in a team-leading 4.69 ERA while tallying an astounding 3.67 strikeout to walk ratio, allowing just 18 free passes while striking out 66 over 86.1 innings during the 2022 season.

SCOUTING REPORT
 University of the Southwest

• 2022 Record: 33-20
• Last Game: Lost vs. Houston-Victoria – 11-6 – May 8, 2022 – RRAC Tournament
• Series vs. MACU (2018-): USW leads 6-0
• Last Game vs. USW: USW won 9-0 – Apr. 6, 2021 – MACU Baseball Field
• Players to Watch:
  • Hayden Woods – SO – OF
    • 2022 Stats: .361 BA (57-158), 6 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 53 R, 17 BB, 7 SB, .421 OBP, .519 SLG%, .940 OPS
  • Kevin Rase – JR – INF
    • 2022 Stats: .309 BA (41-136), 6 2B, 1 3B, 21 RBI, 31 R, 15 BB, 4 SB, .406 OBP, .368 SLG%, .774 OPS
  • Cody Stone – JR – P
    • 2022 Stats: 6-2 W-L, 4.12 ERA, 14 GP, 13 GS, 67.2 IP, 64 H, 32 R, 31 ER, 18 BB, 62 SO
  • AJ Cordova – JR – P
    • 2022 Stats: 7-4 W-L, 5.38 ERA, 15 GP, 15 GS, 73.2 IP, 69 H, 57 R, 44 ER, 44 BB, 70 SO
• Team Notes:
  • The University of the Southwest is coming off a solid 2022 campaign, posting a 33-20 overall record and finished just a game shy of advancing to the RRAC Championship game after suffering an 11-6 loss to Houston-Victoria in the semifinal round.
  • While the Mustangs lost two of its top bats to graduation in Gabriel Perez-Torres and Tariq Levesque, USW does return a few strong bats in Hayden Woods, who batted .361 with a .940 OPS in his freshman campaign while Kevin Rase swatted a .309 average with a .406 on-base clip.
  • A strength of the Mustangs to start the year maybe in their pitching, as Southwest returns its top three starters from a year ago in Cody Stone, AJ Cordova and Rocky Sanchez. While Sanchez (4.50) and Stone (4.12) each posted sub-5 ERAs, Cordova was a strikeout machine for USW, boasting a team-high 70 over 73.2 innings of work.
  • A relatively new rivalry as the two teams only started facing each other in 2018, Mid-America Christian is still seeking its first win against the strong Mustangs program. The last time the two teams faced each other was in 2021 with a doubleheader at the MACU baseball field as the Mustangs came away with 6-1 and 9-0 victories on Apr. 6.