Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
BASE Week 10 Preview (2024)

Baseball Payne Moses

Non-Conference Tuneup, Postseason Push Begins

Glendale, Ariz. - The Firestorm are rejuvenated after a series sweep of Menlo, their potent offense finding its groove with a non-conference slate ahead. A second matchup with Park Gilbert kicks off Week 10 tonight with ACU's lone home game coming on Thursday against Bethesda (CA). A split double header with Bethesda (CA) and SAGU American Indian College caps the road-heavy week on Good Friday.

After a solid week of play, Arizona Christian upped its team batting average to .302 (5th in GSAC), steadied its team ERA at 5.62 (5th in GSAC) and increased its slugging percentage to .507 (2nd in GSAC). 

Marques Titialii blasted his way to 32 RBIs (T-5th in GSAC), Jaylen Edmonds rekindled his hitting efficiency for 39 on the year (7th in GSAC), Ryan Eastham continued his consistent fielding behind the plate now up to 219 putouts (2nd in GSAC), Deshon Thomas added two more stolen bases to make 11 total (T-6th in GSAC), and Eli Elliott's historic performance saw his ERA drop to 2.64 and strikeout count soar to 64 (both 1st in GSAC).

Game Details

RV Arizona Christian at Park Gilbert - Tuesday, March 26 at 6:00 PM
RV Arizona Christian vs. Bethesda (CA) - Thursday, March 28 at 7:30 PM
RV Arizona Christian at Bethesda (CA) - Friday, March 29 at 12:00 PM
RV Arizona Christian at SAGU AIC - Friday, March 29 at 3:30 PM

Arizona Athletic Grounds - Mesa, AZ
Greenway High School - Glendale, AZ
Thunderbird High School - Phoenix, AZ

*All Times Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage

Video - https://wtsmtv.com/parkuniversity/, https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/ 
Live Stats - http://statb.us/b/519361, https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary 

*SAGU AIC does not have video or live stats available for Friday's games

Arizona Christian

The Firestorm would not be denied history or a series sweep against the Menlo Oaks on Saturday night. After winning a barn-burner in Game 1 (17-14) in which they trailed 7-1 early, Arizona Christian's Eli Elliott became the program's career-strikeout leader (251 K) in a 13-0 shutout. ACU pulled off their second GSAC sweep of 2024 and third series victory in conference play.

ACU registered a season-high 19 hits in Game 1 and another 14 in the night cap for the most in consecutive games (33). The Firestorm also scored 20 of their 30 runs with two outs on the board.

Marques Titialii was one of five players to record four hits in the double header, but separated himself with the team's second grand slam of 2024 in Game 1's third inning. With his latest home run, Titialii tied Trey Tarver with nine this season and an accompanying double in Game 2 rocketed his RBI total to a team-leading 32.

Jaylen Edmonds and Jared Anderson each batted in four runs and combined for seven hits, both seeing the ball extremely well. 

Andrew Ivy, Ryan Eastham and Kane Kiaunis rounded out those with four hits. Besides Titialii's four-run blast, Ivy and Matthew Beckworth fired balls over the fence, Beckworth's being a pivotal two-run home run in Game 1.

Jackson Hohensee was not as sharp as usual, but the Arizona Christian bullpen did enough to back him up. For Elliott, he struck out 10 Oaks to not only set the all-time strikeout record in Game 2 but also picked up his third win of the season.

ACU Key Players

Jaylen Edmonds - .355 BA, 39 hits, 24 RBIs 
Sean Garcia - .351 BA, 27 hits, 11 RBIs
Andrew Ivy - .347 BA, 33 hits, 25 RBIs
Kane Kiaunis - .336 BA, 36 hits, 26 RBIs
Ryan Eastham - .316 BA, 25 hits, 21 RBIs
Marques Titialii - .308 BA, 32 hits, 32 RBIs
Trey Tarver - .299 BA, 32 hits, 25 RBIs
Jared Anderson - .295 BA, 36 hits, 20 RBIs
Eli Elliott - 2.64 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 64 K
Adrian Santa Cruz - 5.36 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 58 K

Series Notes

A dominant 18-2 win on February 27th moved ACU's all-time record against Park Gilbert to 9-2. The latest victory pushed the streak to five games over the Buccaneers. Eleven of 12 ACU players who made a plate appearance reached safely, contributing to tying a season high in total hits (18). Jared Anderson unleashed the long-ball in this one, hitting his first home run of the season in the first inning and leading the club with four RBIs. In his fifth start of the season, Adrian Santa Cruz earned his third win on the mound for the Firestorm, pitching a shutout through five innings and tossing eight strikeouts. Arizona Christian enters tonight's game with a 4-2 road record.

The Firestorm are 21-7 in their all-time series with the Bethesda (CA) University Lion Angels, the first game dating back to March 7, 2014. ACU has won the last five meetings and 13 of the previous 14. The most recent head-to-head competition was a four-game series contested at Apollo High School in the 2021 season. The Firestorm swept the Lion Angels (8-7, 18-5, 8-6, 10-6), led by Brent Smith's eight hits and Brett Aker's NAIA-best sixth win on the mound in the series finale. Current all-time hits leader Justin Ramirez added five hits, three RBIs and eight runs.

Arizona Christian will face SAGU American Indian College for the first time on Friday, the Warriors in their inaugural season as a NCCAA program.

Thoughts From Coach Joe McDonald

"This is a great week for us to take our momentum from last weekend going forward with some non-conference games on the schedule," Coach McDonald said. "We are focusing on continuing to improve on the little things while being highly competitive in adverse and high pressure situations."

Park Gilbert

The Park University Gilbert Buccaneers (17-16, 7-7 Cal Pac) split a four-game Cal Pac series with La Sierra over the weekend in Riverside, California. Both of their losses came by one run (7-6, 9-8), whereas Trey Langan's season-best start on the mound in Game 2 (6.0 IP, 1 RA, 6 Ks) and Andrew Allanson's 7-for-12 (three home runs and seven RBIs) hitting performance were highlights. Park Gilbert posts a .302 BA (4th in Cal Pac), 6.69 team ERA (5th in Cal Pac) and .963 FP (2nd in Cal Pac). Allanson went on to win Cal Pac Player of the Week and leads the Buccaneers in three offensive categories (.423 BA, 11 HRs, .936 SLG%). Junior Flores is the top pitcher (4.01 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 33 Ks) and Diego Bejarno is the top fielder (130 putouts, seven assists, 1.000 FP). 

Bethesda (CA)

The Bethesda University Lion Angels (4-22) snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over Cal Tech on March 19th. They scored seven runs in the ninth inning to pull off a comeback in a back-and-forth game. Erick Rodriguez led BU with five RBIs (3-for-5, all singles) and Fabian Trujillo-Ruiz, one of eight pitchers to appear, picked up the win (1.2 IP, 2 RA). The Lion Angels match up with SAGU AIC for a Wednesday double header prior to taking on the Firestorm.

SAGU AIC

The SAGU American Indian College Warriors (6-20) have lost their previous seven games, most recently being swept by Vanguard University in a three-game series (14-1, 16-6, 18-0) on March 21-22. Justin Stockton carried the offensive load in Game 2, recording four RBIs on 2-for-4 hitting including a three-run home run in the fifth that tied the game at 5-5. Diego Mares is the top hitter for the Warriors in their first season as a varsity program (.369 BA, 31 hits, 12 RBIs), Jackson Dunn the top pitcher (6.59 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 18 Ks) and Eric Thomas Jr. the top fielder (55 putouts, 3 assists, 1.000 FP).


Roll Storm!
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Justin Ramirez

#21 Justin Ramirez

OF
5' 9"
Senior
Ryan Eastham

#4 Ryan Eastham

C
5' 11"
Junior
R/R
Eli Elliott

#8 Eli Elliott

P
6' 2"
Senior
R/R
Sean Garcia

#23 Sean Garcia

IF
5' 9"
Junior
L/R
Jackson Hohensee

#34 Jackson Hohensee

P
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Andrew Ivy

#30 Andrew Ivy

OF
5' 9"
Sophomore
L/L
Adrian Santa Cruz

#13 Adrian Santa Cruz

P
6' 4"
Senior
R/R
Trey Tarver

#10 Trey Tarver

P
6' 3"
Junior
L/L
Deshon Thomas

#2 Deshon Thomas

OF
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Marques Titialii

#11 Marques Titialii

OF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Jared Anderson

#17 Jared Anderson

OF/1B
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Matthew Beckworth

#19 Matthew Beckworth

IF
5' 10"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Justin Ramirez

#21 Justin Ramirez

5' 9"
Senior
OF
Ryan Eastham

#4 Ryan Eastham

5' 11"
Junior
R/R
C
Eli Elliott

#8 Eli Elliott

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
P
Sean Garcia

#23 Sean Garcia

5' 9"
Junior
L/R
IF
Jackson Hohensee

#34 Jackson Hohensee

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Andrew Ivy

#30 Andrew Ivy

5' 9"
Sophomore
L/L
OF
Adrian Santa Cruz

#13 Adrian Santa Cruz

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
P
Trey Tarver

#10 Trey Tarver

6' 3"
Junior
L/L
P
Deshon Thomas

#2 Deshon Thomas

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
OF
Marques Titialii

#11 Marques Titialii

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
OF
Jared Anderson

#17 Jared Anderson

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
OF/1B
Matthew Beckworth

#19 Matthew Beckworth

5' 10"
Junior
L/R
IF