Baseball takes on No. 21 Texas Wesleyan, No. 15 Ave Maria
The Wiley University baseball team will square off against a pair of Top 25 opponents when it plays No. 21 Texas Wesleyan University in a doubleheader on Friday and No. 15 Ave Maria University in a doubleheader on Saturday at Sycamore Park in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Both doubleheaders will start at noon. The games will broadcast on the Texas Wesleyan Network. Live statistics are also available.
The Wildcats (1-4) picked up their first win of the season over Sterling College on February 9. Ryan Ready went 3-for-4 with two runs and a run batted in. Jhan Carlos Javier went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. Eddie Garza, Jacob Perez and Kai Woodard each scored two runs. Nick Rodriguez picked up his first career victory, holding the Warriors to a run on one hit and struck out three in two innings.
Wiley fell 6-3 in the second game but got a strong outing from freshman pitcher Keyon Guillory. He tossed five innings and struck out a career-high seven batters. Only one of the three runs he surrendered were earned. Guillory won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Texas Wesleyan (5-4) is coming off a 14-6 victory over the University of Mobile, which is ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason poll. The games was part of the Cajun Collison. The Rams fell to No. 10 Missouri Baptist University and Loyola University in New Orleans, which is receiving votes. All of the Rams losses have come against schools that are ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll.
Hayden Hutchens leads the team with a .364 batting average and 10 RBIs. Jose Casado has posted a 1.08 earned-run average in two starts. He has held opponents to four hits and only one of the four runs he allowed were earned. Last season, Texas Wesleyan reached the Opening Round of the 2023 NAIA Baseball National Championship.
Ave Maria (2-1) has also played teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll. It opened the season with a 13-11 victory over No. 17 Vanguard University. The Gyrenes also defeated Arizona Christian University, which is receiving votes. No. 11 Hope International University gave Ave Maria its only blemish.
Tanner Kelly leads the Gyrenes with a .462 batting average. Francesco Barbieri and David Leonardi each have six RBIs. Sean Hogan is the top pitcher with a 2.25 ERA.
The Wildcats and Rams have met 22 times on the diamond. Wiley's only victory in the series came in 2011. The schools last met to open the 2022 season with a four-game series. Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Wildcats and Gyrenes.
Wiley is seeking its first victory over a ranked opponent since March 22, 2019, when it defeated No. 9 Louisiana State University at Shreveport 12-9.
For more coverage on the Wildcats visit Baseball - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)
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