STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The Western Athletic Conference recognized senior infielder Slade McCloud as the WAC Baseball Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon. McCloud had quite the opening week, leading the defending WAC champions to a 3-1 series victory over the Butler Bulldogs. This is McCloud's first WAC weekly award, becoming the first Texan to achieve this feat since February 2024.

McCloud tallied 11 hits over the weekend, registering a .550 batting average. The senior also tallied eight runs, six stolen bases and three RBIs. With his dominating performances over the weekend, McCloud became the only Texan to record multiple hits in all four games of the 2025 season.

On Friday's 9-4 win over the Bulldogs, McCloud hit a leadoff single in the second inning for the first hit of Tarleton State Baseball's 2025 campaign. After advancing to third base thanks to a single from his teammate, Ike Shirey, McCloud was driven to home plate by an RBI single from Lane Brewster.

The Robinson, Texas, native hit a double in the third inning and stole third base, accounting for his first of six steals throughout the weekend. McCloud finished Friday's victory with three hits, two runs and two steals.

The Purple and White had a historic Saturday, compiling 31 runs in the first game of a doubleheader against the Bulldogs. The Texans' 31 runs marked their most in a single game since becoming a Division I program and rank second in Tarleton State Baseball's all-time record books (36 runs on Feb. 15, 1997). McCloud played a critical part in this historic victory, tallying two hits, one of them being his first home run of the season. 

In the second half of Saturday's doubleheader, McCloud notched a team-high and career-high four hits in just five at bats. McCloud registered a single and a run during the Texans' third inning frenzy, where they put up seven runs to come back from a five-run deficit. He accumulated two steals on Saturday evening, extending his streak of multiple stolen bases for the third consecutive game.

On Sunday's final game of Tarleton State's opening series, McCloud had two hits along with two runs and an RBI. The senior had his first triple of the season in the bottom of the third inning that scored teammate Tyson Drake. 

McCloud's stellar opening weekend helped propel Tarleton State Baseball to a 3-1 start and their largest Division I victory ever. He will look to keep his momentum going when the Texans take on the Kansas Jayhawks this weekend at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.