No.7 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (32-14, 17-6) at OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (26-18, 15-8)
Saturday, April 29 – Noon
Dobson Field (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 56-17
Tweet #LCUvsOC
 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
LCU – Russell Reber (6-1, 3.19 ERA)
OC – Bradley Horn (5-3, 4.04 ERA)
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No. 7 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper), No.16 (NCBWA), No. 19 (Perfect Game), No.24 (D2Baseball News), 
OC: Unranked
 
ANOTHER SERIES ON THE LINE
No.7 Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University will decide their three-game Heartland Conference series with a rubber match noon Saturday at Dobson Field. LCU seeks to remain as the only Heartland Conference program that has won all of their conference series. Thus far this season, LCU has won all of their rubber matches in conference play (3-0) and all have been on the road (Newman, Rogers State and St. Edward's). LCU has not swept a road conference series this season. The Chaps enter the day with a 17-6 conference record and in second place behind St. Edward's, who is 19-4 in conference (two game lead).  OC enters the day in third place of the conference (15-8 in conference).  
 
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
  
CONFERENCE TRENDS
The Chaparrals are hitting .331 in conference games and have a 2.62 staff ERA. Hunter McFall is hitting .457 in conference games and JP Rousseau is 22-of-51 (.423) in Heartland play as well. McFall (19) 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 10-9 on the road this season and led at the plate by Hunter McFall, who is hitting .378 in road play. Jaime Bustamante joins McFall, each co-lead the team with 28 hits on the road. McFall has reached base safely in 15 consecutive road games.
LCU has hit 17 of their 28 home runs on the road this season. The Chaps have a staff ERA of 3.10 in road games.
 
STREAKS
Hunter McFall has reached base safely in 23 consecutive conference games. Jesse Pintado has a six-game overall hit streak, which is the active leading hit streak on the squad (team's active leader in conference play with a five-game hit streak and road active leader with hits in eight straight road games).
 
THE RUSS BUS
LCU will start Russell Reber on the mound. He is 6-1 on the season with a 3.19 ERA. The start will mark his team-leading 14^th start of the season. He allowed two runs off four hits in seven innings last Saturday in LCU's 9-3 win at Rogers State. Reber has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his prior five appearances. He is 2-0 on the road with a 2.17 ERA away from Hays Field.
 
ON THEIR HILL
The Eagles are expected to start Bradley Horn (5-3, 4.04 ERA) on the mound. The Dayton transfer will make his team-leading 12^th start of the season. He leads the Eagles in innings pitched (49), strikeouts (48) and has not allowed a home run on the season. He has held opponents to two earned runs over his prior two appearances spanning 10.2 innings.  
 
SERIES NOTABLES
– The Chaps had five batters go .500 or better at the plate Thursday in the doubleheader, led by Hunter McFall and Jesse Pintado, who were each 4-for-7 (.571).
– Tony Reyes led LCU with five hits in the doubleheader.
– Six of OC's nine runs in the series have been unearned.
– Each team has hit six doubles in the series. Six doubles accounted for half of OC's 12 hits Thursday.
– The Chaps have had 30 at-bats in the series with runners in scoring position (OC had 11). 
– The Eagles have six players that have two hits in the series, but none with more and everyone else that has had an at-bat for LCU is hitless.
 
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 56-17 all-time against Oklahoma Christian in a series that dates back to 1972. LCU, winners of eight of the prior 12 meetings, is 27-11 all-time against OC away from Hays Field.