This Week In WAC Baseball - March 16
This Week In WAC Baseball - March 16
THREE TIED FOR THE LEAD AFTER FIRST WEEK OF 2023 CONFERENCE PLAY
Abilene Christian, Grand Canyon and Sam Houston each staked claim to the top spot in the WAC standings after the opening conference weekend of the 2023 season. ACU swept Stephen F. Austin at home, GCU took all three games from NM State at home and Sam Houston posted three victories at home against Seattle U to kick off league play. All three teams own the longest active winning streaks in the conference, sitting at four consecutive triumphs entering games on March 17.
WAC TEAMS BATTLE TESTED FOR CONFERENCE
As the WAC attempts to send multiple teams to the NCAA Championship for the second straight season, a pair of teams owned top 30 national nonconference strength of schedule rankings in the March 15 version of the NCAA RPI. UT Arlington checked in with the No. 23 nonconference strength of schedule ranking and Grand Canyon, with a 2-1 mark against the current RPI Top 25, owned the 30th ranked nonconference schedule in the country.
GCU’S WILSON ENJOYING A STANDOUT SEASON
Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson has lived up to billing as a preseason WAC Player of the Year selection, winning top player of the week honors in the conference for the second time this season on March 13 after batting .706 with six RBI in a 3-1 GCU week. Wilson leads the WAC with a. 459 batting average and 23 RBI in in 16 starts this season as of March 16.
GET ON BASE, SCORE RUNS
The top three WAC teams in on-base percentage as of March 16 are also among the team leaders in runs scored in the conference. Tarleton paced the conference with a .435 OBP and 173 runs in 17 games, Abilene Christian posted a .411 OBP and 123 runs and Grand Canyon fashioned a .410 OBP and 123 runs scored to begin the season.
THE WAC IN THE NCAA STATISTICS RANKINGS
In the NCAA DI baseball statistics rankings that were released on March 15, Abilene Christian was second in the nation with a .990 fielding percentage. UTRGV and Grand Canyon were tied for fifth with three team shutouts apiece. Individually, California Baptist’s Jacob Wilson was the NCAA leader in pitching victories (5), UTRGV’s Kade York was second in sacrifice bunts (6), Sacramento State’s Jack Zalasky and UT Arlington’s Connery Peters were third in saves (5), UTA’s Tyson Pointer was third in total doubles (10) and Grand Canyon’s Jacob Wilson checked in fifth in total triples (4).