Sooner State Baseball Report

SSBR Series of the Week: MACU vs Southwestern Christian

The Evangels and Eagles resume their OKC rivalry in our SSBR Series of the Week

Newt Huntley
4–6 minutes
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I am starting a new feature this week called the SSBR Series of the Week. Each week I will preview an upcoming series featuring an Oklahoma college/university (or both) that is an intriguing matchup and one I think should get a lot of attention.

With Sooner Athletic Conference play opening this weekend, one series grabbed my attention: MACU vs Southwestern Christian University.

You can make the argument that MACU has been the class of the SAC the last 2 seasons winning the regular season and conference championships in 2024 and finishing 2nd in both last year.

Southwestern Christian has been a team on the rise over the last few seasons. The Eagles finished in 4th place in the regular season in 2025 and hosted a first round matchup in the SAC Tournament.

Both teams are off to good starts in 2026 and are on multiple game winning streaks at the moment. MACU is currently riding an 8 game streak while SCU is on a 4 game heater.

I recently was able to ask both head coaches, Brett Stanton (MACU) and Joe Blackwell (SCU), some questions coming into this series. Let’s take a look at their answers with a capsule of each team’s season so far.

Series Details (3 Games)

  • Where: MACU Baseball Field (3500 SW 19th St, OKC)
  • When: Game 1, Friday, 5:00 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, Noon; Game 3, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
  • Series Record: MACU leads 21-19

MACU Evangels

  • Record: 8-4
  • Key wins: #8 Missouri Baptist
  • “Good losses”: #1 LSU Shreveport, #13 Louisiana Christian
  • Team AVG/OBP/SLG: .242/.360/.348
  • HR: 10
  • RBI: 66
  • Team ERA: 4.17
  • IP/H: 86.1/78
  • BB: 47
  • SO: 98

Interview with Coach Stanton:

– You started the season with 4 straight losses (against some really good teams), but now have won 8 straight. What would you attribute the difference in the last 8 games compared to the first 4?

The begging of the year is usually a tough time for us. We came out of the gate trying to figure out a whole new team and just needed more time. I believe we have won more games of late by simply just playing more of a MACU brand of baseball. I think there is still a lot of meat left on the bone for this club.

– Along the same lines, how are you feeling where your team is at this point of the season heading into conference play?

I have really liked the staff. They have a real chance to be one of the best in the country. The offense is still finding its footing but has been moving in the right direction and has the potential to win in many different ways. I believe this is the perfect time to start conference play against a very good opponent and get a gauge of where we are at. 

– What player(s) or pitcher(s) should we know about? Why?

Nick Hill has been very good this spring after missing all of last season. Jhazeel Groetelaers has been fatastic behind the plate. Jalen king and Sammy hallada have been great at the top of the order. On the mound Fabian Hernandez has been really sharp. Jayce Moore has been very strong. Ibrahim Gonzalez has continued to progress. Liam Taft has been the fireman and we have a lot of confidence in him. 

– What can your team improve on going forward in 2026?

We just need to keep playing our brand of baseball and I believe we can take this as far as possible. A whole new offense is never easy to get going fast. So if we stick to the process I believe MACU will be right where it needs to be. 

Southwestern Christian Eagles

  • Record: 11-2
  • Key wins: Kansas Christian
  • “Good losses”: Tabor
  • Team AVG/OBP/SLG: .329/.452/.537
  • HR: 12
  • RBI: 92
  • Team ERA: .327
  • IP/H: 90/63
  • BB: 50
  • SO: 131

Interview with Coach Blackwell

– You’ve started the season with winning 11 of your first 13 games. What would you attribute to your early season success

We have pretty much an entire new group from the 2025 team.  We have won games in a variety of ways from pitching and defensive performances to games when we have just out slugged our opponents which has been exciting to see. 

– Along the same lines, how are you feeling where your team is at this point of the season heading into conference play?

? I like our level of competitiveness. We have some great competitors on the roster and are coming together. The more we come together as a team I believe the more success we will have throughout the season.

– What player(s) or pitcher(s) should we know about? Why?

Pitchers:  Rolfy DePaula, Mozart Duarte, Frangely Morel, Anderson Paredes, Jacob Hogan

Primary Players:  Nate Anderson, Royce Florenzano, Dominic Ornelas, Aidan O’ Malley, Dario Paredes, Braden Browning, Bryan Melo, Elvis Rojas

These players will be relied upon throughout the season to deliver in order for us to be the team we are capable of.

– What can your team improve on going forward in 2026?

We continue to work in the areas of baserunning, situational hitting, and responding to adversity will be some of the keys for our success.  Overall we really like this group of young men and look forward to reaching our full potential in 2026.

Outlook

This series is a great way to start the SAC season for both teams. MACU and SCU are coming in feeling good about where they currently are.

These 2 programs not only have a history of playing tough games against each other in OKC, but they played a historic national championship game in 2023 in the NCCAA Tournament. MACU won that game in extra innings (SCU won the NCCAA national championship in 2024).

MACU is looking to stay atop the pecking order in the SAC while SCU is trying to kick the door down.

Expect 3 ultra competitive games this weekend and these 2 teams to continue have success in 2026.

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