Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
BASE Week 11 Preview (2024)

Baseball Payne Moses

Firestorm Ride Momentum Into Rivalry Series

Glendale, Ariz. - Arizona Christian totes a red-hot offense and seven-game winning streak into Week 11 of the 2024 regular season. This week's competition features a Tuesday night game at Greenway High School with Embry-Riddle (AZ) coming to town and a three-game set on Friday and Saturday with #25 OUAZ in Surprise. The GSAC standings are congested at the top (five teams within three wins of each other) and no remaining game will be taken lightly.

Following a history-filled week, Arizona Christian increased its team batting average to .319 (3rd in GSAC), lowered its team ERA to 5.17 (4th in GSAC) and pumped up their on-base percentage to .428 (3rd in GSAC). 

Marques Titialii torched opposing pitchers yet again for 42 RBIs on the year (1st in GSAC), Kane Kiaunis upped his hitting total to 44 (4th in GSAC), Jared Anderson slugged his way to 14 doubles (T-1st in GSAC), Deshon Thomas added two more stolen bases for 13 on the year (5th in GSAC), and Eli Elliott and Adrian Santa Cruz were both excellent in their most recent starts, now credited with 73 and 68 total strikeouts respectively (1st and 2nd in GSAC).

Game Details

RV Arizona Christian vs. Embry-Riddle (AZ) - Tuesday, April 2 at 7:30 PM
RV Arizona Christian at #25 OUAZ - Friday, April 5 at 5:00 PM
RV Arizona Christian at #25 OUAZ - Saturday, April 6 at 1:00 PM
RV Arizona Christian at #25 OUAZ - Saturday, April 6 at 4:00 PM

Greenway High School - Glendale, AZ
Surprise Stadium - Surprise, AZ

*All Times Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage

Video - https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/ 
Live Stats - https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary, https://ouazspirit.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary  

Arizona Christian

The Firestorm appeared unstoppable in Friday's split double header, blanking Bethesda and SAGU American Indian College and winning by a combined 34 runs (6-0, 28-0). ACU's 28 runs against the Warriors broke the program record for most runs scored in a single game (23 against College of Idaho on January 26, 2021).

Jaylen Edmonds stole the show against SAGU AIC, producing a monster offensive game featuring three home runs and 12 RBI. The second baseman rewrote two ACU Baseball records, first, most home runs in a single game and second, most RBI in a single game.  

Andrew Ivy extended his recording-breaking hit streak to 23 games with three hits (two doubles) against the Lion Angels and Warriors. Marques Titialii uncorked a home run in each game on Friday, capping off a 10-RBI week for the senior outfielder.

Eastyn Culp earned his third win on the mound against Bethesda, punching out five batters and not allowing a single run in 5.0 innings. In his first start since becoming the Firestorm's all-time career strikeout leader, Eli Elliott rang up nine batters and blanked SAGU AIC.

Through 35 games, ACU boasts nine players with a batting average at or above .300 (minimum 50 at-bats). 

ACU Key Players

Andrew Ivy - .366 BA, 41 hits, 27 RBIs 
Kane Kiaunis - .361 BA, 44 hits, 31 RBIs
Sean Garcia - .353 BA, 30 hits, 13 RBIs
Jaylen Edmonds - .350 BA, 42 hits, 36 RBIs
Ryan Eastham - .333 BA, 30 hits, 26 RBIs
Trey Tarver - .331 BA, 40 hits, 29 RBIs
Marques Titialii - .323 BA, 40 hits, 42 RBIs
Jared Anderson - .316 BA, 43 hits, 25 RBIs
Eli Elliott - 2.39 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 73 K
Adrian Santa Cruz - 4.79 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 68 K

Series Notes

Arizona Christian is 4-2 in their all-time series with the Embry-Riddle (AZ) Eagles, the first game dating back to February of 2022. After dropping the first meeting 15-5, the Firestorm have won four of the last five games by an average of six runs. The most recent meeting on April 4, 2023 saw ACU defeat ERAU 17-10 in Prescott. In an error-ridden ball game (nine total errors), the Firestorm out-hit the Eagles 11-9 and piled on 10 runs in the eighth inning to all but seal the victory. Marques Titialii led ACU offensively with three hits (one double) and Evan Hieb got through 5.0 innings on the mound, allowing two runs while striking out three batters.

The Firestorm lead the OUAZ Spirit 30-11 in their all-time series that dates back to the 2018 season. After falling in four of the first five meetings, ACU has dominated to a 29-7 record. Six games have gone the Firestorm's way due to forfeit. Earlier this season (February 23-24), OUAZ defeated ACU 2-1 in a three-game series at Greenway High School. The Firestorm opened with a 9-6 victory on the back of Kane Kiaunis' two home runs and five RBI, but lost both of a Saturday double header (20-9, 4-2) having committed 10 total errors. Marques Titialii set the program's all-time RBI record with a two-RBI single in Game 2, breaking a tie with Justin Ramirez.

Thoughts From Coach Joe McDonald

"This is a huge week for us as we start off tonight with a very good mid-week opponent and then look forward to a battle this weekend with Ottawa," Coach McDonald said. "We will continue to stay humble, work hard, and focus on the things that help us win."

Embry-Riddle (AZ)

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ) Eagles (20-13, 10-5 Cal Pac) were swept by RV Benedictine Mesa on March 22-23, but rebounded with a 2-1 series victory over Park Gilbert this past weekend at Arizona Athletic Grounds. In their most recent contest, the Eagles pulled off a successful come-from-behind 10-7 win. After yielding six first inning runs to the Buccaneers, ERAU outscored them 10-1 including three in the tenth inning to break a 7-7 tie. Roberto Garza-Nunez hit a critical three-run home run in the fifth to provide the Eagles with the necessary spark. Through 33 games, ERAU is hitting .333 as a team (1st in Cal Pac), pitching with a 6.31 ERA (3rd in Cal Pac) and fielding at a .953 clip (6th in Cal Pac). Drew Barragan is the top hitter (.453 BA, 63 hits, 61 RBI) and 1st in Cal Pac, Cole Altherr the top pitcher (5.44 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 72 Ks) and 15th in Cal Pac and Javier Izaguirre Jr. the top fielder (233 putouts, 9 assists, .996 FP).

OUAZ

The Ottawa University Arizona Spirit (23-11, 8-10 GSAC) fell six spots to the 25th-ranked team in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top-25 poll (March 27th). They defeated RV Benedictine Mesa on Tuesday (5-4) and Thursday (6-3), first at Gene Autry and then at Surprise Stadium. On Thursday, the Spirit had a monstrous eighth inning (five runs) to overcome a 3-1 deficit and outlast the Redhawks. Logan Meyer had three hits and three RBI in the contest. The Spirit were swept by Hope International in their most recent GSAC series (March 22-23), currently sitting at fifth in the conference standings. Through 34 games, OUAZ has put forth a .313 BA (4th in GSAC), 5.54 ERA (5th in GSAC) and .969 FP (2nd in GSAC). Christian Powell is the top hitter (.342 BA, 41 hits, 32 RBI), Connor Wilson the top pitcher (4.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 39 Ks) and Nano Perez the top fielder (80 putouts, 7 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
Evan Hieb

#21 Evan Hieb

P
6' 2"
Junior
L/L
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
Eastyn Culp

#15 Eastyn Culp

P
6' 4"
Junior
R/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
Evan Hieb

#21 Evan Hieb

6' 2"
Junior
L/L
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
Eastyn Culp

#15 Eastyn Culp

6' 4"
Junior
R/R
P