OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU baseball team will have a short turnaround for its home-opener on Tuesday as the Evangels host Friends for a 1 p.m. first pitch at the MACU Baseball Field on Tuesday.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 7-4 (prior to completion of Monday's game at Southwestern)
• Last Game: Won at Southwestern – 12-6 – Feb. 18, 2024 – Winfield, Kan.
• Top Performers (Hitting):
  • Kyle Williams – JR – OF
    • .441 BA (15-34), 5 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, 2 SB, .512 OB%, .676 SLG%
  • Noel McGarry-Doyle – JR – OF
    • .389 BA (14-36), 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 13 R, 6 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .488 OB%, .667 SLG%
  • D'Andre Gaines – SO – OF
    • .367 BA (11-30), 3 2B, 2 3B, 10 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SB, .441 OB%, .600 SLG%
• Top Performers (Pitching):
  • Isaac Baez – SR – RHP
    • 3-1 W-L, 2.70 ERA, 4 APP, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 28 SO, .178 OBA
  • Carlos Escobosa – JR – RHP
    • 2-0 W-L, 0.00 ERA, 3 APP, 1 GS, 10.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 18 SO, .088 OBA
  • Zane Robeaux – SR – RHP
    • 1-0 W-L, 2.16 ERA, 3 APP, 1 GS, 8.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, .200 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Before facing off against Southwestern in the series finale today, Mid-America Christian brought the big bats in a doubleheader sweep over the Moundbuilders on Sunday with a pair of 13-2, 12-6 victories.
  • In those two games, the Evangels scored their 25 runs on 21 hits on a .313 team batting average while 10 of those hits went for extra bases. D'Andre Gaines swung the hottest bat in the twin bill, slashing .714 (5-of-7) with two doubles, five RBIs and five runs.
  • As per usual, Noel McGarry-Doyle was MACU's biggest run producer, driving in six RBIs on a 4-for-8 (.500) performance, mashing a triple and a homer to go with three runs. Anthony Hampton also brought the pop in his bat, as all three of his hits in his 3-for-7 (.429) day all went for extra bases as his two doubles and a home run resulted in four RBIs and four runs.
  • In getting the win in game one, senior starter Isaac Baez was selected as the Sooner Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. In 6.2 innings of work, Baez allowed just two earned runs on one hit and four walks while his 15 strikeouts not only set a career-high, but also marked the fifth-most in a single game for a MACU pitcher in program history. By also notching the 12^th win of his career, Baez moved into a tie for second for the most career wins in program history, needing just one more to catch MACU legend Keisy Portorreal.

SCOUTING REPORT
Friends (Kan.)

• Record: 9-3
• Last Game: Lost vs. (RV) Tabor (Kan.) – 11-3 – Feb. 18, 2024 – Wichita, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2004-): FRND leads 14-10
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 9-5 – Apr. 6, 2022 – MACU Baseball Field
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch (Hitting):
  • Niquan Benjamin – JR – OF
    • .444 BA (16-36), 2 2B, 10 RBI, 10 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB, .452 OB%, .500 SLG%
  • Buster Hardman – GR – INF
    • .425 BA (17-40), 1 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 9 R, 1 BB, 5 HBP, 2 SB, .489 OB%, .500 SLG%
  • Carlos Rodriguez – GR – C
    • .378 BA (14-37), 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 4 HBP, .489 OB%, .730 SLG%
• Players to Watch (Pitching):
  • Francisco Moscoso – JR – RHP
    • 2-0 W-L, 1.47 ERA, 3 APP, 3 GS, 18.1 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 18 SO, .250 OBA
  • Daniel Jaime – SR – RHP
    • 1-2 W-L, 2.93 ERA, 3 APP, 3 GS, 15.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 12 SO, .232 OBA
  • Preston Lewis – SO – RHP
    • 0-0 W-L, 1.25 ERA, 5 APP, 1 SV, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, .192 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Much like the Evangels, Friends is playing in a postponed weekend series KCAC rival Tabor, splitting a Sunday doubleheader with a 4-3 win an 11-3 loss before playing the series finale at 3 p.m. today (Monday).
  • The Falcons are a sensational hitting team, ranking third in the KCAC in team batting average (.319) while also posting the league's third-best on-base percentage (.422). As strong as FRND's hitting is, it's pitching staff is even stronger as the Falcons lead the entire KCAC in team ERA (3.60), the 24^th-best in the entire NAIA.
  • Overall, six of Friends' regular hitters are batting above .300, led by Niquan Benjamin. The junior outfielder is slashing .444 with 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored while graduate student catcher Carlos Rodriguez is the team's power bat, swatting a .378 batting average with four doubles and three homers for 12 RBIs and five runs.
  • Even though the Falcons hold a 14-10 lead in the all-time series, Mid-America Christian snapped a five-game losing streak to Friends in their last outing at the MACU Baseball Field on Apr. 6, 2022. In that game, MACU overcame a 5-2 deficit in the bottom of the eighth by putting up a huge seven-run frame to capture the 9-5 victory. Joshua Fernandez picked up the win in relief by throwing a scoreless eighth while Blake Diggle came up with the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth while German Sepulveda slapped a two-RBI single in the frame to give MACU some breathing room.