ACU athletics announced that head baseball coach Rick McCarty has signed a contract extension, keeping him with the program he took to the top through the 2026 season.
McCarty turned around a program that was in the basement of the Southland Conference, and took it to new heights, culminating with a regular season championship this past spring. McCarty recently completed his third season with the Wildcats, and has a 69-55 record. The contract keeps him in the first-base dugout at Crutcher Scott Field for the next five seasons.
"I want to thank Dr. [Phil] Schubert and Allen Ward for the support they have extended to our baseball program and for believing in me as its leader," said McCarty. "I am honored to be the head baseball coach at ACU and I am looking forward to leading this program many more years to come. I am extremely proud of what our players, staff, alumni, and fans have been able to accomplish over the last few years. We are excited to build on that foundation in the years to come."
McCarty's short time at ACU has come with immediate success, as the team qualified for its first-ever Southland Conference Tournament just three years in. It's even more impressive to note that the 2020 spring was cut short after just 15 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the entire offseason was limited during that time as well to prepare for 2021. Despite all the challenges leading into the spring with cancellations and testing, and despite having one of the most inexperienced teams in the league, the transformation was evident. ACU won 36 games in 2021, including 25 in league play, and claimed its first-ever conference championship at the Division I level.
"It really goes without saying that this decision was a no-brainer," said Athletics Director Allen Ward. "Rick has done a fantastic job with his program, and obviously last season was one we will not soon forget. What he gets out of his players, and the types of student-athletes him and his staff recruits are unparalleled. He is the perfect person to lead our baseball program. The example and leadership he shows on the field, for our players in the classroom, and through faith are exactly what we want at Abilene Christian. We are so very excited to keep him around here at ACU."
ACU won 17 of its last 21 games to close out the season, and included in that was an impressive 11-game winning streak. And already in just three seasons under McCarty (only two with post-season awards), ACU has had the Southland Player of the Year (Luis Trevino - 2019), the Southland Hiter of the Year (Colton Eager - 2021), the Southland Newcomer of the Year (Grayson Tatrow - 2021), and the head man himself won the league's Coach of the Year honor (2021). It has been an immediate, impressive rebuild that mirrors any such at the Division I level nationwide.
The Wildcats have improved in the classroom as well. ACU has had no less than a 3.10 team GPA in a semester since the fall of 2018, when McCarty was brought on to lead the program. The team had a 3.19 team GPA in the 2018-19 year, a 3.20 in 2019-20, and a remarkable 3.36 in 2020-21 that included a fall semester of a 3.45. The team had 27 players named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and three individuals produced 4.0 GPAs as well.
"We are working to build a Christ-centered program that pushes players to develop as a person, student, and player, all while putting our team in a position to win a championship each year," said McCarty. "We are fired up about the future of ACU baseball and we are looking forward to raising the bar in our department a little more each day. It is a very exciting time to be involved in ACU athletics."
The program has already been brought to new heights, and this contract extension ensures a real opportunity to stay that way and to push even further. ACU Baseball's success is just beginning.
