OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU baseball team will look to stay hot against some top tier talent from the Red River Athletic Conference as the Evangels head to Victoria, Texas to start a four-game series against last year's RRAC Tournament Champion Houston-Victoria. MACU will open the slate with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday before closing it out with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 1-1
• Last Game: Lost at No. 5 LSU-Shreveport – 5-4 – Jan. 28, 2024 – Shreveport, La.
• Stat Leaders (Hitting):
  • Anthony Hampton – JR – UTL
    • .556 BA (5-9), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, .556 OB%, .667 SLG%
  • Noel McGarry-Doyle – JR – OF
    • .500 BA (4-8), 1 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, .556 OB%, .625 SLG%
  • Jordan Crawford – JR – 1B
    • .375 BA (3-8), 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, .444 OB%, .500 SLG%
• Stat Leaders (Pitching):
  • Zane Robeaux – SR – RP
    • 0.00 ERA, 1 APP, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 SO, .167 OBA
  • Breyllin Suriel – JR – RP
    • 0.00 ERA, 1 APP, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 SO, .000 OBA
  • Isaac Baez – SR – SP
    • 1.93 ERA, 1-0 W-L, 1 APP, 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian opened its season on a strong note against the fifth-ranked team in the NAIA as the Evangels cruised to an 11-1 run-ruled victory over LSU-Shreveport before dropping a close 5-4 battle in the doubleheader finale to split the series.
  • In his first doubleheader as an Evangel, junior third baseman Anthony Hampton put together a strong showcase, slashing 5-for-9 (.556 batting average) while MACU's top hitter from a season ago in NCCAA All-American Noel McGarry-Doyle hit .500 (4-8) with three RBIs and three runs scored.
  • Facing one of the top hitting teams in the NAIA last year, MACU's pitching staff from top-to-bottom was nothing short of brilliant, allowing just five earned runs off 11 hits for a .193 opponent batting average and a 2.81 ERA. Last season, LSUS hit for a .352 average and averaged 8.5 runs per game as a team. In the 11-1 win, MACU's ace Isaac Baez tossed 4.2 strong innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits while Jacob Mallozzi, Zane Robeaux and Cameron Brown closed out with 4.1 stellar innings of one-hit ball with four walks and a hit-by-pitch to go with five strikeouts.
  • In the 5-4 loss, it was a tough outing for Devan Quesada and Jordan Smith, who allowed five runs, four earned over six innings, but reliever Breyllin Suriel gave MACU a chance late after tossing two scoreless frames while not allowing a hit or a walk with just one hit batter with three strikeouts. MACU managed to get the tying run into scoring position in the top of the ninth when Hampton hit a two-out single to center before advancing to second on a passed ball, but MACU came up empty in its final at-bat of the contest.

SCOUTING REPORT
Houston-Victoria

• Record: 4-0
• Last Game: Won vs. Wayland Baptist (Texas) – 7-3 – Jan. 28, 2024 – Victoria, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2020-): MACU leads 7-1
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 7-0 – Feb. 4, 2023 – Victoria, Texas
• Series Streak: MACU won 6
• Players to Watch (Hitting):
  • Julian DeLeon – SO – INF
    • .375 BA (3-8), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP, .500 OB%, .375 SLG%
  • Hayden Leopold – SR – INF
    • .357 BA (5-14), 3 2B, 1 RBI, 4 R, .400 OB%, .571 SLG%
  • Juan Martin – JR – INF
    • .300 BA (3-10), 2 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 SB, .462 OB%, .300 SLG%
• Players to Watch (Pitching):
  • Mason Longoria – JR – RHP
    • 0.00 ERA, 1-0 W-L, 1 APP, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 7.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 SO, .130 OBA
  • Jacob Baker – FR – RHP
    • 0.00 ERA, 1-0 W-L, 1 APP, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO, .211 OBA
  • Brady Parker – SO – LHP
    • 3.60 ERA, 1-0 W-L, 1 APP, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 SO, .235 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Houston-Victoria is coming off an impressive four-game sweep over Wayland Baptist last weekend, picking up 1-0, 3-2, 14-7 and 7-3 victories over the Pioneers from Jan. 27-28.
  • In that four-game sweep, the Jaguars posted just a .263 team batting average, but were able to frustrate the WBU pitching staff by drawing 23 base-on-balls for a .415 team on-base percentage. The pitching staff also posted a 3.54 ERA against a Pioneers team that averaged 7.7 runs per game in 2023 while allowing WBU just 3.0 rpg in the series.
  • The tandem of Hayden Leopold and Juan Martin scored a good chunk of UHV's runs in that series, combining for nine of its 25 runs scored while batting .357 and .300 respectively. The Jaguars also got a pair of strong starts from junior right Mason Longoria and freshman righty Jacob Baker, as the two combined to toss 12 scoreless innings while Longoria struck out eight in a complete 1-0 shutout in the series-opener.
  • Overall, Mid-America Christian has had quite a bit of success at Riverside Park in Victoria, Texas. In preparing to play their third four-game series in the venue, the Evangels have a 7-1 record against Houston-Victoria at the park, which included a four-game sweep over UHV last season. In the series finale, Cameron Brown tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just five hits and one walk while Ryan Reed led the MACU bats by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Noel McGarry-Doyle slashed 1-of-4 with a homer and two RBIs.