California Baptist University
Tarleton State University
BASE Preview: The Lancers are Headed Back to Texas
4/16/2026 11:55:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE--- California Baptist baseball returns to Texas this weekend as Western Athletic Conference play continues. The Lancers will be facing off against Tarleton State in the Lone Star State beginning on Friday, hoping to continue their impressive lossless weekend series streak. CBU enters the weekend 30-7 and 4-2 in WAC play, while TSU enters 23-13 and with a 3-3 conference record.
Gary Adcock's program kicked off last weekend with a series win over UT Arlington before falling in the series finale during the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday night. The squad rallied and turned around to compete against UC Riverside on Tuesday in the third installment of the Crosstown Showdown season series, besting the Highlanders 19-4 for CBU's 30th win of the season. The victory over UCR pushed the Lancers into the 30-win club just over halfway through the season, joining UCLA, Georgia Tech, Jackson State, USC, Georgia, and UNC.
Cole Hansen continues to be dominant at the plate for the Lancers, owning a new role in the designated hitter spot for the time being. Hansen is currently hitting .421 with 48 hits and nine doubles this season. He leads the WAC in batting average by 40 points. Additionally, Chris Ramiresz and Riley Hunsaker are hitting above .350, while Ramirez leads the team in hits and doubles. As a squad, the Lancers are batting .316 and lead the WAC in nearly every hitting category.
From the mound, CBU is tossing a 3.45 team-ERA with 435 strikeouts. Leading the way is Michael Malki, who recently dipped his ERA to under 2.00 and has 71 punchouts this season. The sophomore right-hander has done well in his role as the Friday Night Guy and has the record to prove it, going 7-0 this season. His 1.99 ERA ranks 24th in the nation, and his pitching wins rank second, behind only Joey Giordano at Richmond. Bryan Peck has also been the name to know on CBU's Pitching Staff as the graduate transfer has logged a 2.55 ERA this season with 45 strikeouts.
As for the competition this weekend, Tarelton sits in the middle of the pack as a team for both pitching and hitting. The squad boasts a .283 batting average and a 5.29 ERA as a team this season, while leading the conference in pitching saves and in triples. The Texans come into the weekend fresh off a WAC series win against Abilene Christian last week and a loss to TCU during a midweek match-up. TSU currently sits in third place in the WAC standings, after losing to UTA and its recent win over ACU.
Tarleton State has two players hitting above .350 this season in Rayner Heinrich and Slade McCloud. Heinrich leads the way with a .359 average with 47 hits and eight home runs this season for the Texans. McCloud checks in with a .358 average and 10 doubles with four home runs this season. On the bump, Cort Lowry has been the guy for the Texans and has thus far posted a 3.93 ERA with 36 strikeouts across nine starts.
The series is set to begin this Friday with the first pitch at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Games can be streamed on ESPN+.
