No.7 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (31-13, 16-5) at OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (25-17, 14-7)
Thursday, April 28 –
Game 1: 3:00 p.m. Game 2: 5:00 p.m.
Dobson Field (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 55-16
Tweet #LCUvsOC
 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
 
GAME 1
LCU – Guillaume Blanchette (10-1, 1.46 ERA)
OC – Brennan Walker (6-1, 2.10 ERA)
 
GAME 2
LCU – Ricky Contreras (6-1, 1.53 ERA)
OC – Dylan Fazekas (3-3, 4.07 ERA)
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No. 7 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper), No.16 (NCBWA), No. 19 (Perfect Game), No.24 (D2Baseball News), 
OC: Unranked
 
BIG BIRD SERIES
The Chaparrals and Eagles meet up for a three-game Heartland Conference series in Oklahoma City, beginning with a doubleheader Thursday at Dobson Field due to expectations of inclement weather. The series between No.7 Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University was originally scheduled to begin Friday with a doubleheader. LCU enters the game in second place in the Heartland Conference (16-5) and a game out of first place (St. Edward's, 17-4). Oklahoma Christian enters the game in third place of the conference with a mark of 14-7. LCU is the only team in the Heartland Conference that has not lost a conference series and has won 11 of their last 15 games (three of the four losses have been non-conference games).
 
IN THE REGION
The NCAA released their first regional rankings of the season and LCU, who is playing in their first season postseason eligible, made their debut at No.2 in the South Central Region Poll. The top six teams in the final region poll will advance to the South Central Region Tournament as part of the NCAA Championships, with hosting privileges for the No.1 ranked team.
 

1. Colorado Mesa
2. Lubbock Christian
3. Texas A&M - Kingsville
4. St. Edward's
5. Colorado Mines
6. Angelo State
7. West Texas A&M
8. Cameron

 
ABOVE AVERAGE
LCU leads the Heartland Conference and ranks 24^th nationally batting .330 on the season.  The Chaps have produced at least 10 hits in 30 of 44 games played this season. Two of the top seven in batting in the Heartland Conference are members of the Chaps (Hunter McFall .413 ranks third and Brandon Rix .371 ranks seventh). LCU also leads the conference in hits (499), with a mark that ranks 27^th nationally.
 
THE HUNTER
Hunter McFall leads the team hitting .413 and producing 47 RBI.  The senior infielder ranks 26^th nationally with 71 hits. He leads the team with 22 multi-hit games (10 games of at least three hits) and has 13 multi-RBI games.
 
STRIKING STAT
Over the prior 10 games, LCU's Jesse Pintado and Tony Reyes have combined for two strikeouts at the plate (one for each). Reyes ranks 31^st in the nation when it comes to the hardest player to strikeout, as he strikeout every 16.8 at-bats. Pintado is not too far back, averaging striking out every 12.1 at-bats. McFall has the best mark on the team, averaging striking out every 16.7 at-bats (ranks 30^th nationally). 
 
CONFERENCE TRENDS
The Chaparrals are hitting .325 in conference games and have a 2.68 staff ERA. Hunter McFall is hitting .447 in conference games and JP Rousseau is 22-of-51 (.431) in Heartland play as well. McFall (18) leads the Chaps in RBI in conference play, as the Chaps have five players with at least 14 RBI in conference play. Rotation pitchers Guillaume Blanchette (6-1), Russell Reber (4-1) and Ricky Contreras (4-1) have combined to go 14-3 in conference games. LCU has used 10 different pitchers in conference play and only one has above a 3.50 ERA.
 
ROAD TRENDS
The Chaps are 9-8 on the road this season and led at the plate by Jaime Bustamante, who is hitting .397 in road play. Bustamante has a .468 on-base percentage and has nine multi-hit games on the road this season. LCU has hit 16 of their 27 home runs on the road this season. The Chaps have a staff ERA of 3.22 on road games. Hunter McFall, who is hitting .358 on the road, has reached base safely in 13 consecutive road games.
 
STREAKS
Hunter McFall had his streak of 29 consecutive games reaching base safely end Tuesday, but has his streak continuing in conference game and standing at 21 consecutive games. Jesse Pintado has a four-game overall hit streak, which is the active leading hit streak on the squad (team's active leader in conference play with a three-game hit streak and road active leader with hits in six straight road games).
 
BLANCHETTE RECEIVING RECOGNITION
In the opening game of Thursday's doubleheader, LCU will start Guillaume Blanchette on the mound. He is 10-1 on the season (tied for second in the nation in victories) with a 1.46 ERA (ninth nationally) and eight complete games (tied for second nationally). Opponents are batting .196 against him this season. Blanchette also ranks sixth nationally in WHIP (0.82) and 21st in hits allowed per nine innings (6.3). On the road, Blanchette is 4-1 with 0.72 ERA. Last week, Blanchette struck out 13 at Rogers State and did not allow an earned run in 21 innings, leading to Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA South Central Region Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
THE RICK
LCU is going with freshman Ricky Contreras on the mound in the second game. Contreras is 6-1 with a 1.53 ERA this season (ranks 13th nationally). He started the season in the bullpen, but has since made four starts on the season. Contreras is coming off his first loss of the season (allowed two earned runs in seven innings last Friday at Rogers State). Opponents are hitting .182 against him in conference and .196 overall. Contreras has a 1.72 ERA on the road (eight appearances) and has held opponents to a .148 batting average on the road.
 
ON THEIR HILL
The Eagles are expected to start Brennan Walker in the opener and Dylan Fazekas in the second game on the mound. Walker (6-1, 2.10 ERA) did not have a decision last week against St. Mary's and allowed four runs off six hits in 4.1 innings. He had not allowed more than two earned runs in 10 prior appearances. Fazekas (3-3, 4.07 ERA) is scheduled for his fifth start of the season and has 43 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched this season.  
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT OC
- The Eagles are 25-17 on the season, 14-7 in conference and 6-6 at home this season.
- They are coming off a three-game series at St. Mary's in which they dropped two of three games.
- OC is hitting .315 as a team, with Robert Rosser hitting .351 on the season. He has 15 doubles and three homers on the season.
- OC was preseason picked fourth in the Heartland Conference Preseason Poll after going 14-13 last season in conference play.
- The Eagles rank 14^th nationally in doubles per game with an average of 2.4 per game.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
OC took two of three games last season in their series at Hays Field, including the rubber match on Senior Day. LCU won two of three games in 2014 in the prior meeting in Oklahoma City between the two squads. LCU is 55-16 all-time against Oklahoma Christian in a series that dates back to 1972. LCU, winners of seven of the prior 10 meetings, is 26-10 all-time against OC away from Hays Field.