No.22 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (10-6) at ST. MARY'S (6-7)
Friday, March 3, 2017
Game 1: 3:00 PM / Game 2: 5:00 PM                                                     
Dickson Stadium (San Antonio, Texas)
Radio: Online only
All-Time Series: StMU leads 12-9
Tweet #LCUvsStMU
 
IN THE BOX
LCU heads to San Antonio, Texas for a weekend series with St. Mary's University. Weather could potentially be a factor and the two programs already made changes to the scheduled four-game series, setting up Friday to serve as a doubleheader (3 p.m. first pitch). Saturday and Sunday is now scheduled to host one game on each day with a noon first pitch for each game. The two teams are Heartland Conference foes, but the series is serving as a non-conference series. It is the final series before conference begins for LCU, as their Heartland Conference opener is scheduled for Mar. 10 in Oklahoma City facing Oklahoma Christian. LCU's Heartland Conference series with St. Mary's is scheduled in Lubbock, Texas at Hays Field (Mar. 24-25).
 
RANKINGS (as of 3/1/17)
LCU: No. 22 (Perfect Game), No. 23 (d2baseballnews.com),
StMU: Unranked
 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
 
GAME 1
LCU – Ricky Contreras (0-0, 2.59 ERA)
StMU – Zack De La Garza (2-2, 4.85 ERA)
 
GAME 2
LCU – Russell Reber (3-0, 4.13 ERA)
StMU – Holden Grounds (1-2, 1.90 ERA)
 
LOOKING BACK
No.12 Lubbock Christian University exploded for 10 runs over the sixth and seventh innings to claim a 11-1 run-ruled walk-off win over Colorado State University – Pueblo and splitting the four-game series Sunday afternoon at Hays Field.
 
STREAKS
Tony Reyes leads the team with a 14-game hit streak. Reyes also leads the team with an active streak of 14 consecutive games reaching base. Chase Simmons is not far behind, reaching base successfully in 11 consecutive games.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT StMU
-The Rattlers are coming off a 32-21 season in 2016. They went 20-10 at home and 16-11 in Heartland Conference play. They are 6-7 this season and have played nine of their 13 games at home, where they are 5-4. They have won their last two games, including an 18-3 road win at Houston-Victoria on Tuesday.
-The Heartland Conference has StMU preseason picked to finish third in the conference, with first baseman Jack Kaiser and Donnie Perez on the Preseason All-Conference team.
-Virginia transfer Holden Grounds is the reigning NCBWA South Central Region Pitcher of the Week and is a finalist for National Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete game (seven innings) two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts over Hosuton-Victoria.
-StMU is hitting .333 as a team, with Beau Barnes leading the team batting .463 with 19 hits (17 singles).
-They have a staff ERA of 5.74, with opponents hitting .256 against them this season.
 
HISTORY WITH StMU
LCU and St. Mary's have met 21 prior times dating back to 1978 and the all-time series is led by StMU 12-9. The Chaps were swept by the Rattlers in their last trip to San Antonio (2015 season). Prior to 2014, the two teams had not met since Feb. 5, 2000. LCU is 3-8 all-time against StMU away from Hays Field. Their last meeting overall was last season in Belton, Texas at the Heartland Conference Tournament (StMU won 3-2 May 13, 2016). LCU went 2-2 against StMU last season, winning two of three games of a Heartland Conference series in Lubbock.