LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (19-17, 6-7) at TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (14-20, 6-9)
Friday, April 10, 2015 – Game 1: 4 p.m. / Game 2: 7 p.m.                                                   
Uni-Trade Stadium (Laredo, Texas)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 3-0
Tweet #LCUvsTAMIU

Lubbock Christian University makes their first ever trip to Laredo, Texas, as the Chaparrals open a three-game Heartland Conference series with a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. Friday at Uni-Trade Stadium.

LCU looks to extend a three-game conference win streak and they have won their last eight games away from home. They enter the series with TAMIU with a 19-17 overall record and a 6-7 conference record. They had a four-game win streak snapped Tuesday with a 21-17 loss to West Texas A&M. The offensive marathon combined for 38 runs off 40 hits. The game last four hours to complete (none of their prior 17 games had lasted over 2:50). Ethan Kohnle had the big performance for LCU with a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, for a 5-RBI game. LCU produced four home runs in the game and now have 27 on the season and they have been produced by 11 different players.

The Chaps are hitting .310 as a team, with 118 total bases. They have 80 doubles, which ranks 18th in the nation. Kohnle leads the team with 12 and is in the top-10 in the nation with an average of .55 per game. Hunter McFall leads the team in hits (56), RBI (36) and batting (.386). He also leads the team in conference play, batting .340 in conference games. LCU is hitting .277 as a team in conference play. Wade Stramp leads LCU with a .473 on-base percentage and is second in the nation in walks with 36.

Their pitching staff has an ERA of 5.35. Scheduled to start in the opener is Brig Gerlich. The senior right-hander is 5-4 on the season with a 4.43 ERA. He leads the team with 44 strikeouts and four complete games. He is 1-0 all-time against TAMIU, defeating them in an 11-4 win last season. He went five innings and allowed two runs off eight hits and struck out seven. Levi Westerlund is expected to go in the second game. The senior is 1-5 on the season with a 4.57 ERA.

TAMIU is 14-20 overall and 6-9 in conference. They had won five of their last six games until falling 10-6 to Houston-Victoria. The loss also ended a four-game home win streak (9-4 at home). The Dustdevils are hitting .293 on the season, led by Jake Cardoza, who is hitting .365. Andrew Arteaga leads the team with 48 hits and Daniel Cruz leads the team in RBI with 24. They are hitting .280 in conference as a team, with Arteaga hitting .448 in conference.

In conference, their staff has an ERA of 2.97 (4.47 overall). Jeremy Gonzalez is expected to start the doubleheader. He is 2-5 with a staff-leading 3.18 ERA. Gonzalez went up against Gerlich last season and lasted 3.2 innings allowing three earned runs off seven hits. Jared Curnel is slated to pitch in the second game. The Texas Lutheran transfer is 2-1 on the season with a 3.88 ERA.

The meetings mark the second consecutive season the two teams have met. Last season's series in Lubbock marked the first ever meeting between the two teams. LCU swept the series to take a 3-0 all-time series advantage over the Dustdevils.