ADAMS STATE (2-2) at No.6 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-0)
Thursday, February 9 - 5:00 PM                                                      
Hays Field (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: Online only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 11-4
Tweet #LCUvsASU
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No. 6 (Perfect Game), No.20 (NCBWA), No. 39 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper)
ASU: Unranked
 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
LCU – Ricky Contreras (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
            - Making his second start of the season. He pitched last Thursday and went seven innings allowing two unearned runs off four hits and struck out five batters. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief against ASU last season (Feb.5, 2016) and allowed one hit, striking out two batters.
ASU – Daniel Brennan (0-0, 2.33 ERA)
            - Last Thursday, Brennan went without a decision in a 7-2 loss to Bethesda. He went three innings and allowed one run on three innings. Brennan struck out five batters. The 6'5 hurler from Las cruces, N.M.
 
Lubbock Christian University went 4-0 last weekend at the DII AirHogs Classic in Grand Prairie and make their way home to host Adams State University for their home opener. LCU went 25-5 last season at home, opening the season with a nine-game win streak and closing the regular season winning their last three home games. LCU opens their home schedule with Adams State for a fourth consecutive season.
 
LOOKING BACK
Brandon Rix went 9-for-18 in Grand Prairie, with an .833 on-base percentage. He had variety among his nine hits, with a double, triple and home run produced. Jaime Bustamante also had a productive weekend last week, with a .412 average and four RBI produced off seven hits, which included two doubles and a home run. LCU hit .294 on the weekend and held their opposition to a .254 average. LCU has a 3.00 staff ERA, with 35 walks compared to 12 walks.
 
IN RELIEF
Reagan Lucia made quite a debut last weekend for the Chaps. The freshman from Lubbock made three appearances spanning 4.2 innings and did not allow any runs off three hits. Sunday, he stepped up to the mound in the ninth inning with Southern Arkansas having the tying run in scoring position, but he was able to get LCU out of the jam for the win and claim his first save of his LCU career.
   
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ADAMS STATE
-The Grizzlies are coming off a 22-28 season in 2016. They went 10-18 on the road and 18-217 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, qualifying for the RMAC Conference Tournament. ASU only played 17 of their 50 games at home last season.
-ASU is picked fifth overall in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
-Bailey Garcia is a RMAC Preseason All-Conference selection as a pitcher. The Second Team All-Conference selection went 7-3 with a 5.30 earned run average. He led the team with 73.0 innings pitched, 15 game appearances, 4 complete games, 2 saves, and a complete game shutout. His 7 wins became a single-season program record since ASU baseball returned as a varsity sport in 2013. Marco Garmendia also earned as spot on the Preseason All-Conference list as a third baseman. He produced a .323 batting average in 27 games.
-Dustin Kachel leads the team hitting .500, going 4-for-8 through the first four games.
-The Grizzlies have pitched 15 different arms this season. Of all 15, none have pitched more than four innings. They have combined for 29 strikeouts in 27 innings of play.
 
HISTORY WITH ADAMS STATE
LCU leads the all-time series with an 11-4 mark (10-3 at Hays Field) and the series dates back to 1974. This season marks the fourth consecutive season the two teams have opened LCU's home schedule. LCU is 8-1 over the prior three season-opening series. They swept all three games each of the past two season. In 2014, the two teams agreed to a tripleheader.