No. 17 Wildcats Set for 2024 Season Opener against St. Ambrose
BALDWIN CITY – Coming off the program's 20th postseason appearance last year, No. 17 Baker football will open up its 2024 season with a matchup against conference newcomer St. Ambrose on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. at Don Parker Field in Liston Stadium.
In their first season with head coach Miguel Regalado back on the BU sideline, the Wildcats went 9-3 overall in 2023 and reached the NAIA playoffs for the 20th time in school history, earning a home playoff win over Louisiana Christian in the first round of the NAIA FCS.
As the NAIA's all-time winningest program with a total of 646 wins, the Wildcats won eight or more games for the 10th time since 2012 and claimed their first conference championship since winning six straight titles from 2015-2020.
Baker returns eight all-conference players from last year, including both the reigning Heart South Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Truman Juelsgaard and Heart South Defensive Player of the Year in Canon Karn.
St. Ambrose comes into Saturday's matchup with a game already under its belt after defeating Briar Cliff, 28-21 in overtime last week. The Bees scored four times following a scoreless first half and had their defense come through with the pivotal stop in overtime. SAU quarterback Tomele Staples threw for nearly 350 yards (349) with three touchdowns, including a pair of scores that went for at least 50 yards.
Competing in their final year in the Chicagoland Conference, the Bees went 1-9 in 2023 with their lone victory coming against Judson in the second to last game of the season.
Saturday will be the first of five home contests for the Wildcats this fall and will mark the first meeting between the two teams with the Bees entering their debut season in the Heart North.
With kickoff set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, fans can purchase an advanced ticket of the game via HomeTown Ticketing.
A live stream of the game can be found on The Heart Conference Network with "Voice of the Wildcats" Derek Johnson calling the action. Live stats for the game are available here.
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