TEXAS-PERMIAN BASIN (19-27, 11-13) at No.17 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (32-15, 17-7)
Friday, May 6 –
Game 1: 3:00 p.m. Game 2: 5:00 p.m.
Hays Field (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 22-3
Tweet #LCUvsUTPB
 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
GAME 1
LCU – Guillaume Blanchette (10-1, 1.56 ERA)
UTPB – Donald Wanner (5-4, 4.41 ERA)
 
GAME 2
LCU – Ricky Contreras (6-1, 1.53 ERA)
UTPB – Jake Albert (2-4, 5.68 ERA)
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No. 17 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper), No.24 (NCBWA), No. 24 (Perfect Game)
UTPB: Unranked
 
MAY BASEBALL
No.17 Lubbock Christian University closes out the regular season with their final Heartland Conference series, hosting Texas-Permian Basin for a three-game set at Hays Field, beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 3 p.m. This marks the second go-around with the Falcons, as the Chaparrals played a home-and-home non-conference two-game set earlier in the season with UTPB. LCU sits in second place of the Heartland Conference standings (17-7) and three games back of St. Edward's. LCU would have to win their final three games and SEU would have to lose their final three games (facing Newman to have a chance of hosting the conference tournament and claiming the conference regular season title. The Chaps have clinched a berth to the tournament, but have Oklahoma Christian sitting a game behind them (16-8) in the standings. If SEU hosts the tournament, they will use the facilities at Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas.
 
IN THE REGION
The NCAA released their second regional rankings of the season and LCU, who is playing in their first season postseason eligible, moved to No.3 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. Tex. A&M-Kingsville
3. Lubbock Christian
4. St. Edward's
5. Angelo St.
6. West Tex. A&M
7. Colorado Mines
8. Okla. Christian
 
ABOVE AVERAGE
LCU leads the Heartland Conference and ranks 18^th nationally batting .335 on the season.  The Chaps have produced at least 10 hits in 33 of 47 games played this season. Two of the top nine in batting in the Heartland Conference are members of the Chaps (Hunter McFall .424 ranks second and Brandon Rix .370 ranks ninth). LCU also leads the conference in hits (544), with a mark that ranks 17^th nationally.
 
THE HUNTER
Hunter McFall leads the team hitting .424 (37^th nationally) and producing 49 RBI.  The senior infielder ranks 21^st nationally with 78 hits. He leads the team with 25 multi-hit games (11 games of at least three hits) and has 13 multi-RBI games.
 
STRIKING STAT
LCU has two batters in the top-50 nationally ranked as the hardest to strikeout. Tony Reyes, who has not struck out in his last 11 games played, ranks 18^th nationally with a strikeout every 18.3 at-bats. Hunter McFall ranks 47^th nationally with a strikeout every 15.3 at-bats.
 
CONFERENCE TRENDS
The Chaparrals are hitting .335 in conference games and have a 2.88 staff ERA. Hunter McFall is hitting .464 in conference games and JP Rousseau is 22-of-52 (.423) in Heartland play as well. McFall (20) and Tony Reyes (20) co-lead the Chaps in RBI in conference play, as the Chaps have five players with at least 14 RBI in conference play (four with at least 18). 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 two have above a 3.50 ERA.
 
HOME TRENDS
The Chaps are 22-5 at home this season and led at the plate by Hunter McFall, who is hitting .448 at home. McFall has a .512 on-base percentage and has 15 multi-hit games at home this season. LCU is hitting .361 at home and has a 93-46 advantage in extra-base hits (72-33 in doubles). McFall has 33 RBI at home and Tony Reyes has 10 doubles and 31 RBI at home. Reyes has hit successfully in seven straight home games. JP Rousseau and Brent Stewart have reached base safely in 13 consecutive home games.
 
HOMERS
Brent Stewart leads LCU in home runs with six and is one of 11 Chaps with at least one home run this season. The team's last six home runs have come on the road. The last home run hit at Hays Field by a Chap was Ryan Rogers on April 16. The last eight home runs hit by LCU have come from eight different Chap players.
 
STREAKS
Jesse Pintado has a seven-game overall hit streak, which is the active leading hit streak on the squad (team's active leader in conference play with a six-game hit streak). Jaime Bustamante has reached base safely in 13 consecutive games. Hunter McFall has reached base safely in all 24 conference games.
 
TO START THINGS OFF
In the opening game of Friday's doubleheader, LCU will start Guillaume Blanchette on the mound. He is 10-1 on the season (tied for third in the nation in victories) with a 1.56 ERA (10th nationally) and eight complete games (tied for second nationally). Opponents are batting .198 against him this season. Blanchette also ranks eighth nationally in WHIP (0.87) and 26th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.4). At home, Blanchette is 6-0 with 2.03 ERA. Last week, Blanchette allowed four runs (two earned) off five hits in six innings          of an eventual loss (no decision for Blanchette) at Oklahoma Christian. He is 1-0 against UTPB this season with a 1.80 ERA after allowing one run off two hits in five innings of an 8-2 win on Mar. 5 at UTPB.
 
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 ninth 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 Apr. 22 at Rogers State). Opponents are hitting .182 against him in conference and .196 overall. Contreras has a 1.32 ERA at home (10 appearances) and has held opponents to a .248 batting average at home. He has only one prior scoreless inning pitched against UTPB earlier this season.
 
ON THEIR HILL
The Falcons are expected to start Donald Wanner in the opener and Jake Albert in the second game on the mound. Wanner (5-4, 4.41 ERA) is coming off a one-hitter against Oklahoma Panhandle State. He struck out four batters in the 3-1 win in seven innings. Albert (2-4, 5.68 ERA) is scheduled for his ninth start of the season and is coming off a one-hit performance against OPSU. He pitched six innings and ended a streak of 15 appearances without a win by claiming his second win of the season.  
 
SERIES NOTABLES
- LCU defeated UTPB 10-2 (in Lubbock) and 8-2 (in Odessa) in the prior two meetings this season, which were non conference games.
- The Falcons are 12-14 and LCU is 19-12 since their prior meeting this season
- LCU is hitting .373 against UTPB this season, while UTPB is .203 against LCU from the plate. Brandon Rix is 6-of-8 (.750) against UTPB this season. Rix co-leads the team with Hunter McFall in RBI in the series with four.
- UTPB's Daniel Andrade is 3-for-6 (.500) against LCU this season. The Falcons aree led this season by Jack Miller, who is hitting .390 on the season.
- LCU is batting .448 (13/29) with runners in scoring position against UTPB, while the Falcons are 2-for-12 (.167) in the category.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
LCU is 22-3 all-time against UTPB and 14-0 in games played at Hays Field in the series.  The Chaps won the first 14 meetings, with a meeting on Mar. 6, 2012 in Midland, Texas serving the only time UTPB had defeated the Chaps prior to LCU falling twice last season in the conference series in Odessa. LCU swept the three-game series in 2014 at Hays Field. This meeting is their final meeting as Heartland Conference foes, as UTPB is moving on to the Lone Star Conference.