Not only is the Abilene Christian University baseball team lighting up scoreboards in the postseason, but coach Britt Bonneau’s fun-loving players know how to entertain a crowd between innings and games, too.
The Lone Star Conference champion Wildcats, who set a school record Thursday afternoon with their 47th win of the season in a 10-2 first-round victory over St. Mary’s in the 2010 NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament in Warrensburg, Mo., have been show-stoppers in the airport and on the field. It seems that senior second baseman Chris Hall and senior pitcher Josh Crockett get a big kick out of playing an animated game of “air ping pong” that leaves people howling at the two teammates’ antics.
ACU sports information director Lance Fleming (’92) says they drew quite a crowd during a nearly seven-hour, weather-related layover at DFW Airport on their way to Missouri. One woman even stopped to “throw back” one of the players’ missed volleys in the terminal.
The Wildcat team and travel party were treated to a dinner Thursday night in Warrensburg by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Howey, parents of former Wildcat catcher Paul Howey (’04). Bruce is the city’s chief of police.
ACU plays University of Incarnate Word tonight in a second-round game, and you can follow along here. The Wildcats are 47-13 on the year. Winner of the regional tournament advances to the NCAA Division II World Series.