Lubbock Christian (21-7, 10-1 Heartland) at Rogers State (8-15, 4-7 Heartland)
Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. (DH)
Claremore, Okla. (Diamond Sports Complex)
 
About the Hillcats
Rogers State has amassed an overall record of 8-15 and a 4-7 mark within the Heartland Conference. The Hillcats are on a one-game win streak and have played 14 games at home where they are 4-9 on the season.
 
Series between LCU and RSU
The two ball clubs have faced off 23 times dating back to their time in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Lady Chaps hold a 20-3 edge over the Hillcats, including wins in the last eight meetings.
 
Last meeting between Lady Chaps and Hillcats
LUBBOCK, Texas (March 1, 2014) – The Lady Chaps did work of Rogers State in the third and final game of LCU's Heartland Conference home opener series, pummeling out a 10-0 victory in five innings on Saturday afternoon at PlainsCapital Park, speared by home runs from Morgan Colburn, Jessica Loiacano, Ashton Bell and Katera Eltsosie.
 
The Lady Chaps (18-3, 3-3) did their damage early, knocking out seven straight hits in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a Loiacano home run down the left field line that brought in Colburn and Kirstie Cochran. Three consecutive singles by Bell, Eltsosie and Diana De La Paz loaded the bases for Rebecca Billings who reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Bell to score for a 5-0 Lady Chap lead. Eltsosie made it around on a Katlin Reed single, and Mallory Koschany wrapped up the last hit of the frame with a single to left center to score pinch runner Giselle Maciel and give LCU a 7-0 advantage.
 
Rogers State (3-11, 0-3) was staged to mount a comeback in the top of the second with Taran Threet doubling to left center and Carley Conley following with a single through the left side. Eltsosie quickly put an end to the Hillcat offense, striking out the next two batters, and an RSU fly out left Threet and Conley stranded on base.
 
Colburn stepped up in the second inning and hit a homer to left center on pitch number two to put the Lady Chaps up 8-0. Bell and Eltsosie tallied their home runs in the fourth in back-to-back fashion, giving LCU a healthy 10-0 and the Lady Chaps held Rogers State stagnant to even their conference record at 3-3.
 
The Lady Chaps travel to University of the Southwest on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. non-conference doubleheader before hosting Newman in a Heartland series, beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 2 p.m. followed by a single game Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
Lady Chaps making an impact statistically
Although LCU has yet to crack the NFCA polls, the Lady Chaps are showing up in several statistical categories, both within the Heartland Conference and nationally. LCU leads the league in batting average (.366), doubles per game (1.82), home runs per game (1.61), on base percentage (.448), scoring (8.04), stolen bases per game (1.96) and triples per game (.32).
The Lady Chap slugging percentage is second best in the nation, their batting average and home runs per game ranks them fourth in the country, scoring is good enough for fifth and on base percentage is seventh.
 
Fantastic freshman Beuthien
First year Lady Chap Sydney Beuthien has made an impression midway through 2015 by leading LCU in hits (42), doubles (8), triples (3), homeruns (10), RBI (38), total bases (86) and slugging percentage (.819). The Era, Texas, native not only leads her team, but also the Heartland in the same categories, while nationally ranking seventh in RBI and eighth in home runs and home runs per game.
 
McGee toughs out win for LCU over No. 1 WT in doubleheader split
LUBBOCK, Texas (March 24, 2015) – A gutsy performance by Lubbock Christian pitcher Courtney McGee led the Lady Chaps in defeat of the nation's number one team, West Texas A&M, following a Kelsey Hoppel score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to steal a 4-3 win before the Lady Buffs escaped an LCU rally in game two for a doubleheader split in WT's 4-3 victory.
 
On the first pitch in the bottom of the second, Molly Davison sent a solo shot over left field for the initial score of the day, and McGee, who was in recovery mode from having her wisdom teeth removed only yesterday, struck out Tyler Wilkinson for the last out in the top of the third to keep the Lady Chap lead at 1-0. Ashton Bell copied Davison by hitting a homer to right center in the bottom of the frame to double LCU's lead to 2-0.
 
Ailing McGee gave up her first hit in the fourth, a Kaisha Dacosin single to left field, but the Lady Buff ended up stranded on a WT groundout. Davison tallied her second hit of the day in the bottom half of the inning, but she would wind up stranded as well, by way of Liz Torres grounding into a double play.
 
Katlin Reed singled down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth before making her way to second on a Shlay Denison sacrifice bunt. Bell registered hit number two of the day on a single up the middle to score Reed to increase the Lady Chap lead to 3-0.
 
WT (24-5) made a run during the seventh, beginning with singles by Allie Cranfill and Ashley Hardin. Brittany Gehle earned a walk to load the bases with one out on the board. McGee struck out Wilkinson on a full count, putting the Lady Chaps (21-7) within one out of a victory. With Stacey Ramirez up to bat, a passed ball advanced each of the WT runners which included a Lady Buff score. On a full count, Ramirez fired a ball over the glove of Kelsey Hoppel at shortstop that landed in shallow left field as Gehle and Hardin sprinted across the place to tie the game at 3-3 before a Lady Buff groundout ended the inning.
 
Hoppel singled to third base in LCU's final attempt to score and advanced to second on a WT throwing error. Hoping to shut down the Lady Chap bats, the Lady Buffs replaced pitcher Tori Bayer for Rita Hokianga. Bell grounded out to third for the second out, but in doing so pushed Hoppel up to third base. Hokianga threw a wild pitch with Sydney Beuthien up to bat, and as the ball rolled towards the backstop Hoppel scampered in to give the Lady Chaps a run and the 4-3 victory.
 
McGee (11-3) earned the win on seven hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
 
The Lady Buffs opened game two with a pair of groundouts but found their bats on a Dacosin single to left field succeeded by an Allie Smith homer to left field for a 2-0 WT advantage. The Lady Chaps attempted to strike back in the bottom half with a Bell single up the middle and her move to second base on a wild pitch. Jessica Loiacano made her way to first on a walk, but was put out on a Davison infield shot to leave a pair of Lady Chaps on base.
 
LCU was close to grossing their first score of the contest in the second with a Torres single to right center. Jenny Rigney replaced Torres as a pinch runner and advanced to second as Reed was hit by a pitch. Addison Ard grounded into a double play as Rigney was able to make it to third base on the play, but a Pam Pence groundout concluded the inning.
 
In the fifth, WT's Hannah Limmer walked and next batter Wilkinson blasted a shot to center field that sent Bell diving, but her attempt was unsuccessful, sending the ball back to the fence and giving just enough time for both Lady Buffs to cross home plate and double the lead to 4-0. The Lady Chaps were able to make a dent in WT's lead in the bottom half, starting with a Bell single up the middle that preceded a Beuthien homer to right center, cutting the Lady Buff lead in half. Sammie Murrietta reached on a fielding error and Loiacano joined her on the bases by way of a walk before a Davison RBI single that smoked WT's pitcher brought Murrietta around to cut LCU's deficit to one. The Lady Chaps twice had the bases loaded, but Loiacano was thrown out at home and Ard flied out to right field to leave three LCU runners stranded.
 
The Lady Buffs looked to add to their advantage in the seventh on a Hardin double down the left field line where she advanced to third on a Gehle sacrifice bunt, but Hoppel struck out Lacey Taylor and Wilkinson popped out. The Lady Chaps did not succeed in their last chance to score, as WT retired the next three LCU batters to split the doubleheader.
 
Hoppel (5-1) suffered her first loss of the year with five hits, two walks and four strikeouts.