2025 WAC Baseball Release - Week 2

TARLETON STATE TEARS THE COVER OFF THE BALL IN 3-1 OPENING WEEK
Tarleton State earned an emphatic series win over Butler to open the 2025 season last weekend. The Texans batted .385 as a team while slugging .580 in a 3-1 showing, scoring 58 runs in the process with 13 extra-base hits. Infielder Slade McCloud was named WAC Player of the Week after batting .550 with three RBIs, six stolen bases and eight runs scored in the Butler series.

STRONG PERFORMANCE FOR GRAND CANYON AGAINST TOP COMPETITION
Grand Canyon was tested immediately out of the gate at the MLB Desert Invitational and hosting No. 24 Nebraska to kick off the new season. The Lopes went 2-2 in the stretch, taking No. 14 Vanderbilt to the limit in a 4-3 defeat in the season opener on Feb. 14 before downing Nebraska 3-1 on Feb. 17. Connor Mattison claimed the first WAC Pitcher of the Week of the year after throwing five scoreless innings of relief with six strikeouts against Vanderbilt.

DOUBLES APLENTY FOR CBU IN SERIES WIN
California Baptist got used to taking the turn for second base during its season opening series win against Portland, ripping a conference-high 13 doubles as a team over four games. A total of 10 different Lancers had at least one double during the Portland series, leading CBU to a .496 slugging percentage and 32 runs.

DYGERT WAS DEALING IN FIRST OUTING
UT Arlington pitcher Caylon Dygert was in form from the outset of his first start of 2025 on Feb. 14 against UTSA. Dygert went 7.1 innings on the mound and scattered three hits with no walks and three strikeouts to earn the win in a 5-0 victory to kick off the series.

TONS OF TOTAL BASES FOR MCDANIEL
Utah Tech infielder Kyle McDaniel was yet another player with a stellar offensive weekend during a 2-2 series against Northern Colorado. McDaniel batted .600 with three doubles, a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. McDaniel’s 1.333 slugging percentage led the conference and he was tied with Tarleton State’s Slade McCloud for the second most total bases (17) in the WAC over the opening weekend.