Eastern New Mexico (16-24, 3-17 Lone Star) at Lubbock Christian (30-11, 17-3 Heartland)
Thursday, April 16 at 1 p.m. (DH)
Lubbock, Texas (PlainsCapital Park)
 
About Eastern New Mexico
The Zias are looking to rebound from a tough series with #2 West Texas A&M on Friday and Saturday, dropping the four contests by scores of 13-2, 23-0, 17-2 and 21-7. ENMU is 16-24 on the year and 3-17 in Lone Star play.
 
History between LCU and ENMU
ENMU is looking for its first win against LCU, as the Lady Chaps have taken each of the 13 meetings. LCU recorded two wins against the Zias in Portales last Tuesday and went 6-0 versus ENMU in 2014, sweeping three doubleheaders.

Last meeting of the Lady Chaps and Zias
Portales, N.M. (April 8, 2015) – Lubbock Christian used a seven-run sixth inning in the first game against Eastern New Mexico for an 8-4 victory and began the following contest with another seven runs in the top of the first to capture a 13-5 doubleheader sweep over the ENMU Tuesday at Zia Field.
 
The Lady Chaps (29-9) looked to be in trouble in game one trailing ENMU (16-20) 2-1 before a big LCU rally. A walk to Addison Ard with the bases loaded knotted the game at two apiece, and a Faith Koria single to right field put the visitors up 3-2. Sydney Beuthien gave LCU a 7-2 cushion with a grand slam to left field before Ashton Bell singled to right field to bring Alyssa Wartelle in for another score.
 
Eastern's Kyra Sirag homered to center field in the bottom of the seventh to cut LCU's lead to 8-4 with two outs on the board, but the Lady Chaps closed down the Zias for the win.
 
Courtney McGee (16-4) gathered the win on seven hits and a walk.
 
LCU wasted little time in the nightcap, as leadoff batter Koria singled up the middle, advanced to second on a Sammie Murrietta hit to center field and scored the first run of the contest on a Zia throwing error. Singles to right field by Liz Torres and Ard added another pair of Lady Chap runs, and Torres made her way around the bags with the help of two ENMU wild pitches. Consecutive singles by Katlin Reed, Pam Pence and Koria added to the scoring fury to give LCU a 7-0 inning one lead.
 
The Zias made a run of their own in the bottom of the second by collecting five runs on four hits and taking advantage of two Lady Chap errors to narrow the gap to 8-5. Following a sacrifice fly by Reed in the next frame, LCU again went to work offensively in the fifth, started by a home run to left field by Torres. Koria notched an RBI after being hit by a pitch, and Beuthien's two-run single to third base brought in two Lady Chaps for a 13-5 advantage to conclude the game.
 
Kelsey Hoppel (8-2) registered the win with 10 hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
 
LCU leader in team statistical categories
The Lady Chaps have risen statistically within the Heartland Conference while also having an impact nationally. The squad leads the league in batting average (.367), double plays turned per game (.67), doubles per game (1.63), home runs per game (1.56), on base percentage (.449), scoring (8.00) and slugging percentage (.609). Nationally, their marks are good enough to rank second in doubles turned per game, third in home runs per game along with on base and slugging percentage, and fourth in batting average and scoring.
 
Hoping to close conference season strong
The pair of losses to Oklahoma Christian over the weekend made LCU's run for a second conference regular season title a bit more difficult. The 17-3 Lady Chaps are now number two in the standings behind a 15-2 St. Mary's while Texas A&M International is third at 13-5. The final standings may very well be determined during the final week of conference play when St. Mary's faces St. Edward's and LCU travels to TAMIU.
 
Loss to OC hands Lady Chaps first conference series defeat
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 11, 2015) – Lubbock Christian recorded its first Heartland Conference series loss after dropping a 4-0 decision to Oklahoma Christian Saturday at Tom Heath Field to hand the Lady Eagles a 2-1 weekend edge over the Lady Chaps.
 
In a game that was moved back two hours due to rain, LCU (30-11, 17-3 Heartland) registered a season low four hits for the second time in the weekend series while having trouble facing OC ace Shea Coats whom the Lady Chaps battled during the first game of the doubleheader on Friday.
 
Leadoff batter Faith Koria collected a quarter of LCU's daily hit total with a single to left center to begin the game but was caught stealing on the next play. OC's Courtney Starr tallied her team's first hit with a shot down the right field line. A Niki Davidson single to shortstop was trouble for LCU, resulting in Starr making it home for the first score of the day and a 1-0 OC advantage.
 
Davidson again came through at the plate with an RBI double to right center in the third to double the lead for OC (22-14, 10-8 Heartland). Unable to garner a second hit, the Lady Chaps then began to also struggle defensively by making a throwing error and dropping a fly ball in the fifth. A Haley Squier RBI single upped the lead to 3-0 and a walk with the bases loaded added another.
 
Katlin Reed singled up the middle in the sixth, and Koria followed with a double, but Reed was caught out at home, ending the chance for a Lady Chap run. In their final chance in the top of the seventh, Sammie Murrietta singled to left center, but Jessica Loiacano grounded into a double play and Liz Torres grounded out to shortstop to wrap up the game.
 
Hoppel (9-3) took the loss following yesterday's shutout with six hits, a walk and three strikeouts.

LCU's Beuthien announced as finalist for National Freshman of the Year
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 9, 2015) – Sydney Beuthien of Lubbock Christian has been named a finalist in the field of 25 for the inaugural National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II National Freshman of the Year Award, which will be presented prior to the start of the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla.
 
This award was created to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among freshman softball student-athletes throughout Division II behind the collaboration of the NFCA and its Division II Head Coaches Committee.
 
Beuthien has made quite an impression during the 2015 season despite not playing high school softball. The Era, Texas, native's high school was so small it did not sponsor the sport, but the 5-9 standout athlete excelled in basketball and track and field. After being discovered by LCU Head Coach Daren Hays last summer, the first year Lady Chap has been putting up impressive numbers to lead the Heartland Conference and rank nationally. Beuthien leads the league in home runs (15), RBI (48), total bases (122) and triples (3), and her numbers rank eighth in the country in home runs and RBI.
 
This year's 25 finalists hail from 23 different universities, while the group represents 15 Division II leagues across the nation, ranging coast-to-coast, from New York to California. Carson-Newman, out of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC), and Minnesota Duluth from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) each boast two finalists.
 
The SAC, Lone Star Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) picked up the most overall selections with three. The Heartland Conference, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and the NSIC each had two representatives. The PacWest, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Conference, Northeast 10, Gulf South Conference, Great American Conference (GAC), East Coast Conference and Peach Belt Conference had one finalist.
 
The list will be trimmed down to the top 10 finalists on April 30, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 13. The inaugural NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony on May 20 prior to the opening of the Division II National Championship, which is being held in Oklahoma City, Okla., for the first time.