BELTON– UMHB head coach Mike Stawski’s 300th career win highlighted the evening at Red Murff Field on Friday night, UMHB baseball run-ruled Austin College in a 12-2 season-opening victory.

It was the kind of statement start to the season the Crusaders were seeking after several positive strides were made in the preseason, both from a pitching and hitting standpoint. Both of those facets proved especially strong against the ‘Roos, as UMHB tallied 14 hits and starter Andrew Acierni struck out 12 batters in seven innings.

The eight-inning contest marked Acierni’s first double-digit strikeout performance of his UMHB career, as he commanded the AC lineup, allowing just four hits and two runs, only one of which was earned. His control was remarkable as well, as he did not walk a single batter.

Rhett Grosz was the star at the plate, complimenting Acierni’s dominance on the mound with a 4-for-4 performance. The senior first baseman posted team-highs in hits (4), runs scored (3), and RBIs (3), in an impressive season debut.

And he was not the only one. Riley Bender, a transfer from Abilene Christian, went 3-of-5 in his Cru debut, and Carson Hagan recorded a 2-for-4 day with a pair of runs scored. Hagan, Grosz, and Bender batted in order in the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 spots in the lineup, accounting for 64.2 percent of UMHB’s hits. The trio also was responsible for seven of The Cru’s 11 RBIs.

Stawski’s 300th career win comes after he notched Win No. 69 in Belton on Friday night, and he is now 69-65 in his fifth year as UMHB’s head coach. That comes on the heels of a 150-51 mark while leading Concordia-Chicago’s program, and an 81-44 performance during three years at the helm of Spalding University.

Game Notes

• The victory marked UMHB’s fifth-straight victory over the ‘Roos, with four of those five wins coming in Belton.
• Six Crusaders made their UMHB debuts in the 10-run win, as Quint Mullen closed the contest with a scoreless frame on the mound, and Riley Bender, Easton Cline, Carson Riley, Cameron Talburt, and Chris Perez all saw action as position players.
• Bender (3-for-5), Cline (1-for-4), Perez (1-for-3), and Talburt (1-for-2) each tallied at least one hit. Riley came off the bench and did not record an at-bat.
• The 12 runs scored by UMHB are the most in a season-opener since 2006 to the exact day, when The Cru beat Southwestern, 12-10, on Feb. 16, 2006.
• It also marked UMHB’s first double-digit run total in a win since April 6, 2023, when the Crusaders took down Hardin-Simmons convincingly, 14-1.