OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (9-12, 0-2)
At No.14 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-7, 2-0)
Saturday, Mar. 24, 2018 – 12 p.m. / 2 p.m. (DH)
Hays Field (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: 100.7 FM The Score
All-Time Series: LCU leads 60-20
Tweet #LCUvsOC | Tweet #HeartlandBASE
 
Midway through the opening weekend of Heartland Conference play and No.14 Lubbock Christian University finds themselves as the only team without a loss in conference play.  They will seek to stay ahead of the pack Saturday, as they host Oklahoma Christian for a doubleheader to complete their four-game conference series at Hays Field. On the flipside, OC, losers of six of their prior seven games, is seeking to end a four-game losing streak. LCU heads on the road for an eight-game road trip following Saturday's action. 
 
RANKINGS 
LCU: No.14 (Perfect Game),
OC: N/A
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHER
 
GAME 1
LCU – Ryan Johnson (3-1, 2.15 ERA)
Ryan Johnson is LCU's co-leader in strikeouts with 27 in 37.2 innings pitched.  His 37.2 innings leads the staff and Saturday marks his seventh start of the season. He is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA at Hays Field, where he has held opponents to a .128 average.
 
OC – Skyler Martin (3-0, 3.13 ERA)
Martin, the staff ERA leader, will make his sixth start of the season. He has held opponents to 15 hits in 23 innings and a .176 average, but seven of the 15 hits allowed have been for extra bases. Martin seeks to improve a team high 13 walks, five wild pitches and six hit batters. He also looks to continue a streak of three wins in starts, and is coming off a win over Arkansas-Fort Smith in which he two runs off four hits in five innings. He has not surpassed five innings on the mound in his five starts this season.
 
GAME 2
LCU – Callan Johnson (3-1, 2.96 ERA)
Callan Johnson is set for his sixth start of the season. He has 26 strikeouts in 27.2 innings and opponents are hitting .196 against him. He is coming off his only loss of the season, allowing five runs off six hits in 3.1 innings against St. Edward's. He had allowed four runs in four combined prior appearances leading up his start against SEU.
 
OC – Robbie Suhr (2-1, 5.56 ERA)
The freshman from Missouri will take the hill for his sixth appearance and fourth start of the season. OC averaged 10.3 runs a game in his first five appearances, but in his last start, UAFS shutout OC 7-0 and Suhr surrendered five runs off seven hits in six innings. Saturday will mark his fifth appearance away from home this season. 
 
LOOKING BACK
While OC stranded 19 runners on the afternoon, LCU combined for 16 hits with runners in scoring position and went 8-for-8 with a runner at third base and less than two outs.  The Chaparrals success with runners on base led to a 10-3 and 17-12 win in a doubleheader split to open their Heartland Conference schedule Friday at Hays Field.
 
HOME NUMBERS
LCU is 11-6 at Hays Field this season, with a team batting average of .272 and an ERA of 3.71. Will Clark is hitting .339 at home and Ryan Rogers has 17 RBI in home games. On the hill, LCU pitching has held opponents to a .245 average at home.
 
STREAKS
Andrew Pratt has the longest active hit streak with hits in the last four games for LCU. Ryan Rogers has reached base safely in the last 17 games. Logan Nethercot has the season high, reaching base safely in 20 straight games.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH OC
.567 | LCU went 16-of-28 (.571) at the plate with runners in scoring position Friday.
.778 | Bryce Smith went 7-for-9 Friday for OC with seven hits in nine at-bats.
5 | LCU's five home runs Friday against OC marks the fifth series this season LCU has had at least five home runs in. Andrew Pratt has had a home run in four of the series.
6 | Ryan Rogers led LCU with six hits Friday.
7 | Freshman Shandon Herrera recorded his first collegiate win on the bump Friday, coming in for a relief win.  He is the seventh different Chaps pitcher to record a victory. Last season, LCU had eight different pitchers record a "W."
8 | LCU used eight pitchers in the second game of Friday's doubleheader, which is the most pitchers LCU has used in a game under head coach Nathan Blackwood.
8-for-8 | LCU went eight-for-eight scoring the run from third base with less than two outs Friday. Scotland Church and Braden Hayward are 2-for-2 scoring the runner in the scenario.
10-3 | LCU had a 10-3 advantage Friday in two-out RBI.
20 | LCU recorded 20 hits in the second game of the series, which marks a season high.
   
HISTORY WITH OC
LCU won two of three games in a three-game series in Oklahoma City last season, marking the second straight season the road team has taken two-of-three games in the regular season series. LCU can buck that trend with a win Saturday. The two teams are 6-6 over the prior 12 meetings. The Chaps are 60-20 all-time against Oklahoma Christian in a series that dates back to 1972. LCU is 31-6 all-time against OC at Hays Field.