OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off a huge Sooner Athletic Conference series win at Texas Wesleyan, the No. 18 MACU Baseball team will be looking to close out its final regular season non-conference contest on a high note as the Evangels head to Wichita, Kansas on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. nine-inning game against Friends.
SEASON REPORT
- Record: 32-10 (17-4 SAC)
- Last Game: Lost at Texas Wesleyan – 7-1 – Apr. 19, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas
- Top Players:
- Kyle Williams – JR – 1B
- .444 BA (59-133), 17 2B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 29 R, 20 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SB, .513 OB%, .707 SLG%
- Noel McGarry-Doyle – JR – OF
- .387 BA (53-137), 8 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 55 RBI, 42 R, 22 BB, 6 HBP, 8 SB, .482 OB%, .664 SLG%
- D'Andre Gaines – SO – OF
- .365 BA (50-137), 12 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 55 R, 18 BB, 9 SB, .479 OB%, .693 SLG%
- Top Pitchers:
- Isaac Baez – SR – RHP
- 9-1 W-L, 2.94 ERA, 12 APP, 12 GS, 1 CG, 67.1 IP, 51 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 18 BB, 78 SO, .203 OBA
- Zane Robeaux – SR – RHP
- 8-0 W-L, 2.24 ERA, 12 APP, 6 GS, 2 CG, 52.1 IP, 39 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 11 BB, 55 SO, .207 OBA
- Cameron Brown – SR – RHP
- 2-1 W-L, 2.52 ERA, 14 APP, 3 GS, 4 SV, 25.0 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 10 BB, 22 SO, .234 OBA
- Team Notes:
- Mid-America Christian continued its incredible run in Sooner Athletic Conference play last weekend as the Evangels were able to win their seventh-straight SAC series after sweeping the Thursday doubleheader 7-5 and 6-2 before falling 7-1 in the finale on Friday.
- After putting together another strong week from the dish, junior outfielder Noel McGarry-Doyle was selected as the NCCAA Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week after going 7-for-16 (.438) from the dish with six RBIs and three runs scored while leading the Evangels to a 3-1 record. McGarry-Doyle was huge for MACU in its come-from-behind 9-8 victory over McPherson on Apr. 16, coming up with the clutch 3-RBI double down the left field line to tie the game at 8-8 before scoring the winning run on Marcus Burton's walk-off single later in the frame.
- In the 6-2 win over the Rams, Zane Robeaux ended the contest by recording his 189th career strikeout, which moved him into a tie with David Wynn (2010-11) for the most career strikeouts for a MACU pitcher since the program joined the NAIA in 2008.
- The Evangels continue to rank as one of the best all-around teams in the NAIA following the successful week. Offensively, MACU ranks in the top 25 of the NAIA in batting average (.331, 21st) while posting the 28th-best slugging percentage (.517) and 38th-best on-base percentage (.424). On the mound, the Evangels are one of nine teams in the NAIA with a sub-4.00 ERA (3.98, 9th) while posting the fourth-best WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched) at 1.30. MACU has also shot up the ranks defensively as the Evangels own the 14th-best fielding percentage (.969) in the NAIA as well.
SCOUTING REPORT
Friends
- Record: 28-20 (19-17 KCAC)
- Last Game: Lost vs. McPherson (Kan.) – 8-3 – Apr. 20, 2024 – Wichita, Kan.
- Series vs MACU (2004-): FRND leads 14-11
- Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 11-1 (7 Inn) – Feb. 20, 2024 – MACU Baseball Field
- Series Streak: MACU won 2
- Players to Watch:
- Carlos Rodriguez – GR – C
- .391 BA (70-179), 16 2B, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 17 R, 18 BB, 6 HBP, .456 OB%, .615 SLG%
- Niquan Benjamin – JR – OF
- .372 BA (61-164), 11 2B, 34 RBI, 36 R, 13 BB, 5 HBP, 10 SB, .416 OB%, .439 SLG%
- Buster Hardman – GR – INF
- .360 BA (64-178), 11 2B, 1 3B, 33 RBI, 45 R, 21 BB, 10 HBP, 6 SB, .448 OB%, .433 SLG%
- Pitchers to Watch:
- Francisco Moscoso – JR – RHP
- 8-3 W-L, 1.72 ERA, 12 APP, 12 GS, 1 CG, 68.0 IP, 61 H, 30 R, 13 ER, 13 BB, 28 SO, .247 OBA
- Brett Black – FR – RHP
- 4-4 W-L, 2.79 ERA, 13 APP, 8 GS, 1 CG, 1 SV, 61.1 IP, 65 H, 34 R, 19 ER, 8 BB, 58 SO, .262 OBA
- Daniel Jaime – SR – RHP
- 7-4 W-L, 3.18 ERA, 13 APP, 12 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 87.2 IP, 80 H, 36 R, 31 ER, 20 BB, 59 SO, .243 OBA
- Team Notes:
- Friends is coming off a tough weekend home series against McPherson as the Falcons were swept by the Bulldogs in the three-game set 3-1, 14-5 and 8-3 from Apr. 19-20 at the Westside Athletic Field.
- The Falcons rank as one of the best pitching teams in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), ranking second in the team in team ERA (4.52) as well as WHIP (1.45). Friends also ranks third in defensive efficiency with the third-best fielding percentage (.968). From the plate, the Falcons own the fifth-best batting average (.316) while posting the sixth-best slugging percentage (.463) and seventh-best on-base percentage (.409).
- Graduate student catcher Carlos Rodriguez has been the most dangerous bat in the Falcons lineup this season as he is hitting a team-best 1.071 OPS with 16 doubles and eight homers for 46 RBIs. Niquan Benjamin and Buster Hardman have also gotten on-base at a strong clip for Friends with each batting a .372 and .360 average.
- The Falcons starting rotations has been excellent as Francisco Moscoso is 8-4 on the mound with a 1.72 ERA while Brett Black is turning in a 2.79 ERA with a stellar 7.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Daniel Jaime has also been a key piece of the rotation with a 7-4 record and 3.18 ERA behind a team-high 59 strikeouts.
- Mid-America Christian is making the return trip to Friends after facing the Falcons at the MACU Baseball Field on Feb. 20. In that win, the Evangels cruised to an 11-1 victory behind a balanced batting effort that featured four players with at least two RBIs. D'Andre Gaines led the way by finishing just a triple away from the cycle, bashing a double and a homer for an RBI and two runs scored while Noel McGarry-Doyle also went yard to finish 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Cameron Brown picked up his first win of the season after going six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts while Zane Robeaux also tossed a scoreless inning of relief while striking out a pair.
