No. 17 Baseball Hits the Road For First Time During SAC Play With Trip to Wayland

OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 17 MACU Baseball team heads to Plainview, Texas for the first road series of SAC play with a three-game set against Wayland Baptist kicking off with a doubleheader tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with game three being pushed back due to weather circumstances for a now 1:00 p.m. start Sunday, Mar. 9.

MACU SEASON REPORT

Record: 17-5
Last Game: Won vs. Friends – 10-2 – Mar. 4, 2025 – Wichita, Kan.
Stat Leaders (Hitting):
- Brett Justice – JR – 1B
  - .394 BA (28-71), 9 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 19 R, 10 BB, .476OB%, .887 SLG%, 1.363 OPS%
- Carlos Medina – SR – SS
  - .393 BA (24-61), 4 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R, 9 BB, 5 HBP, .494 OB%, .656 SLG% 1.150 OPS%
- Payton Matthews – SR – OF
  - .338 BA (25-74), 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 22 R, 12 BB, .422 OB%, .649 SLG% 1.071 OPS%, 15 SB
Stat Leaders (Pitching):
- Brock Cordes – SR – RHP
  - 3.24 ERA, 2-0 W-L, 6 APP, 4 GS, 25.0 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 14 BB, 27 SO, .159 OBA
- Fabian Hernandez – JR – LHP
  - 3.96 ERA, 3-1 W-L, 6 APP, 4 GS, 25.0 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 5 BB, 29 SO, .240 OBA, 1 SV
- Gabriel Dixon – SR – LHP
  - 4.38 ERA, 3-1 W-L, 5 APP, 5 GS, 24.2 IP, 35 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 24 SO
Team Notes:
- Mid-America Christian brought the win total up to twelve straight behind a 10-2 midweek win over Friends. The Evangels pounded out seven runs across the first two frames jumping to a 7-2 lead.
- Cristopher Munoz led the offense against the Falcons, he went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored. Munoz has been swinging a hot bat as of late, recording a hit in 11 of his last 12 games boosting his batting average to .359 in the process.
- Payton Matthews drove in three to boost his team leading RBI to 34, trailing to SAC rival Jhors Gomez of Southwestern Christian by one for the national lead amongst the NAIA.
- Noel McGarry-Doyle extended his batting streak to 12 games with a pair of hits against Friends, he went 2-for-3 with a run, RBI and stolen base.
- The Evangels pitching staff used five different arms, Bradley Waite led the group, picking up his first win of the season after going three scoreless, allowing a pair of walks, a hit batter, one hit and a strikeout.
- MACU has won three in a row with a sweep over Wayland last season, the Evangels look to remain undefeated in SAC play as well as extending the current 12 game win streak.

SCOUTING REPORT
Wayland Baptist

Record: 12-10
Last Game: Lost at Panhandle State – 10-7 – Mar. 1, 2025 – Goodwell, Ok.
Series vs WBU (2008-): WBU leads 36-16
Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 8-5 – Mar. 30, 2024 – Oklahoma City
Players to Watch (Hitting):
- Delvis Claudio – SR – 3B
  - .407 BA (24-59), 8 2B, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 20 R, 5 BB, .453 OB%, .898 SLG%, 1.351 OPS%
- Samuel Fabian – SR – OF
  - .400 BA (22-55), 5 2B, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 18 R, 7 BB, .507 OBP%, .982 SLG% 1.489 OPS%
- Felix Polanco – SR – UTL
  - .329 BA (23-70), 7 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 3 BB, .382 OBP%, .600 SLG%, .982 OPS%
Players to Watch (Pitching):
- Tate House – JR – RHP
  - 1.93 ERA, 3-0 W-L, 5 APP, 3 GS, 14.0 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 17 BB, 10 SO, .298 OBA
- Branin Seilbert – JR – LHP
  - 3.34 ERA, 4-1 W-L, 6 APP, 5 GS, 1 CG, 29.2 IP, 25 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 22 BB, 35 SO, .229 OBA
- Wellington Vargas – JR – LHP
  - 5.40 ERA, 0-1 W-L, 5 APP, 3 GS, 18.1 IP, 16 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 17 BB, 23 SO, .232 OBA
Team Notes:
- Wayland Baptist enters coming off a 10-7 at Panhandle State, despite the loss the Pioneers took two of three in the series. WBU dropped 35 runs in the series while allowing 20 runs to OPSU. The offense has been the storyline thus far for the Pioneers, with a .310 average as a team and 90 extra-base hits.
- Both teams step in ranking top five in the NAIA in homers, MACU is third with 40, just one behind the leading Tennessee Wesleyan and Wayland stands in at five with 34. Delvis Claudio and Samuel Fabian are the main facilitators on the offensive side, the duo both are hitting at least .400 with seven homers and 20 runs batted in.
- As a staff, the Pioneers have an ERA of 6.91 that ranks right in the middle of the pack at fifth in the SAC. WBU is keeping opponents to a .295 average, but the main issue is the free passes, in 22 games Wayland has surrendered 105 walks, fourth most in the conference.
- Tate House and Branin Seibert have had the most success on the mound so far for WBU, House is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA allowing just 4 runs in 14 innings despite allowing 17 walks and 10 hits. Seibert is holding opponents to a .229 batting average, he leads the Pioneers in wins with 4, he is 4-1 with a 3.34 ERA in a team high 29.2 innings.