No.9 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (21-7, 6-0)
At NEWMAN (10-18, 2-4)
Friday, Mar. 30, 2018 – 12 p.m. / 2 p.m. (DH)
McCarthy Field (Wichita, Kan.)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 The Score
All-Time Series: LCU leads 13-2
Tweet #LCUvsNU | Tweet #HeartlandBase
 
The No.9 Chaparrals improved to 8-1 in road play Thursday and completed a doubleheader sweep in their conference road opener to improve their win streak to six games. They aim to duplicate the results Friday, as they remain in Wichita to complete their first four-game conference road series with a noon doubleheader.  Thursday's wins have the Chaps 6-0 on the season in conference, ahead of Arkansas Fort Smith (3-1).
 
RANKINGS 
LCU: No.9 (Perfect Game), No.29 (Collegiate Baseball News), RV (NCBWA)
NU: N/A
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHER
 
GAME 1
LCU – Chandler Casey (2-1, 1.74 ERA)
The team's ERA leader (1.74), Casey is scheduled to make his second start of the season and ninth appearance. Of his eight prior appearances, Casey has only allowed earned runs in one game. He has made five consecutive appearances, combining for nine innings, without allowing an earned run. His longest outing of the season was a 5.0 inning outing against Metro State on Feb. 22 at home.
 
NU – Roger Wilson (2-3, 3.98 ERA)
Wilson is slated for his eighth appearance and start of the season Friday. He has gone at least 6.0 innings in his four prior starts and has held the opposition to one earned run in each of his last two starts, including one earned run allowed at St. Edward's last weekend. Like game-one starter Zack Erdman, Wilson attended junior college at Black Hawk College.
 
GAME 2
LCU – Callan Johnson (4-1, 2.36 ERA)
Johnson is the reigning Heartland Conference (Co) and NCBWA South Central Region Pitcher of the Week after holding Oklahoma Christian to one hit and striking out 11 batters in 7.0 innings. Of his six starts on the season, he has held the opposition to two or less hits in three of them. Opponents are batting .169 against Johnson this season. He ranks 23^rd nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.24).
 
NU – Sam Hersh  (1-2, 11.65 ERA)
Hersh will jump up on the hill for his sixth start of the season. He went 5.0 innings last weekend at St. Edward's and allowed five runs off eight hits. The Wichita, Kan. native is in his second season with the Jets and did not face LCU last season. 
 
LOOKING BACK
LCU passed their first road test in Heartland Conference play Thursday, as the Chaps held on for a dramatic 1-0 victory in the opening game, off a complete game three-hit shutout by Ricky Contreras, and completed the doubleheader sweep over Newman with a 9-3 win at McCarthy Field. Dillon Drury was 3-for-3 with two RBI in the nightcap.
 
ROAD SHOW
LCU is 8-1 on the road this season, with a team batting average of .335 and an ERA of 3.01. Andrew Pratt is hitting .486 away from home and Ryan Rogers has 17 RBI in road games. LCU has a 21-2 home run advantage against the home team while on the road. On the hill, LCU pitching has held opponents to a .256 average on the road.
 
STREAKS
Andrew Pratt has the longest active hit streak with hits in the last eight games for LCU (14-for-29, .483, during the stretch). Ryan Rogers, who has hits in his last six games, has reached base safely in the last 21 games, which is an LCU high for the season. Andres Negron has also hit safely in six games.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH NU
0 | Newman was 0-for-10 in the opening game in at-bats Thursday with runners on base (0-for-5 with runners in scoring position). They stranded 18 baserunners.
1 | Newman was held to one extra-base hit on Thursday (five for LCU).
1 | The Jets went 1-for-15 (.067) in two-out at-bats Thursday, going 0-for-6 in the opener.
2| LCU is a combined 2-for-16 (12.5%) in getting the leadoff batter aboard base in the series. They were 0-for-7 in the opener.
4 | Andrew Pratt leads LCU with four hits in the series (4-for-8 at the plate).
5 | Five of LCU's runs in the second game Thursday were two-out RBI. LCU had seven hits with two outs in the game (Dillon Drury and Keaton Greenwalt each with two).
9 | The Chaps had nine hits with runners on base in the second game Thursday, with six hits produced with runners in scoring position.
12 | LCU pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts in the second game Thursday, matching a season high for strikeouts.
16 | Newman grounded out in 11 at-bats during the opener, with the Chaps defense matching a season high with 16 assists leading to put-outs.
30-5 | LCU's lone run in the opening game was tallied in the first inning, placing the Chaps with a mark of 30-5 in scoring advantage during the first inning of games played this season.
 
HISTORY WITH NU
LCU owns an 13-2 all-time series advantage. Last season, LCU won all four meetings, as the two teams opened their series in Grand Prairie, Texas at the DII AirHogs Classic on Feb. 4 before LCU swept their conference series at Hays Field. LCU has eight straight wins in the all-time series and is 7-2 all-time away from Hays Field against Newman. In 2016, LCU lost the opening game at McCarthy Field, but then won the final two games to claim the series in Wichita (LCU has won four straight games at McCarthy Field).