No.19 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (28-14, 13-7)
at ST. EDWARD'S (23-18, 11-9)
Friday, Apr. 27, 2018 – 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. (DH)
Lucian-Hamilton Field (Austin, Texas)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 The Score (Game 1 only)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 20-12

No.19 Lubbock Christian University plays the second half of their eight-game road trip Friday and Saturday facing St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas for a pair of doubleheaders. The games will also complete a season long eight game series with the Hilltoppers. Both teams are fighting for a spot atop the Heartland Conference standings and for a berth into the Heartland Conference Tournament in Cleburne, Texas.  The Chaps (13-7 in conference) enter the series 1.0 games behind Arkansas - Fort Smith in the standings with eight games remaining. St. Edward's enters the week tied for third place (holding the No.3-seed due to tiebreakers), with an 11-9 conference mark (2.0 games back of LCU and 3.0 games back of UAFS). LCU's magic number to secure a berth to the conference tournament is "5."
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No.19 (Perfect Game)
SEU: National: N/A   Regional: No.7 (NCAA South Central Region Poll)
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHER
 
GAME 1
LCU – Ricky Contreras (6-2, 2.78 ERA)
Friday's series opener will mark the 12th appearance and 11th start of the season for Contreras. He suffered a loss last Thursday at Rogers State (prior start), allowing six runs off seven hits and walked five batters in 4.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .233 against Contreras this season. He is 3-2 in conference play, with a 3.82 ERA and opponents hitting .234 against him. Contreras is 1-0 against SEU this season after allowing one run off five hits in a complete game win on Mar. 17. He is 2-1 all-time against SEU, with a 4.68 ERA in four starts.
 
SEU – Blake Holub (4-3, 3.35 ERA)
The freshman right-hander from Houston is set for his eighth start of the season (12th appearance). His last appearance covered 7.0 innings and he did not allow a run off three hits against Oklahoma Christian. He is 1-0 against LCU this season and held the Chaps to one run on one hit in 4.1 innings (held LCU to hit .067) on Mar. 16 in a relief role.
 
GAME 2
LCU – Callan Johnson (6-3, 3.40 ERA)
Johnson seeks to bounce back from a loss last Thursday at Rogers State (three runs allowed off five hits in 5.2 innings) with his 11th start of the season. The right-hander from Idalou, Texas has held the opposition to a .198 average on the season. Johnson is 3-2 in conference play and holding opponents to a .200 average. He is 0-1 against SEU this season (Mar. 16) after allowing five runs off six hits in 3.1 innings.
 
SEU – Trent Rosenauer (2-1, 4.66 ERA)
The freshman lefty is set for his third appearance and second start of the season. His last outing against Oklahoma Christian lasted 5.2 innings and he allowed three runs off eight hits. He has not faced LCU this season.
 
LOOKING BACK
No.13 Lubbock Christian University bounced back from a pair of Thursday losses with a doubleheader sweep Friday (Apr. 20), defeating Rogers State University 6-2 and 4-0 with a pair of complete game pitching performances to split their four-game Heartland Conference series at Diamond Sports Complex. The wins ended LCU's six-game road losing streak.  Ryan Johnson and Daniel Crooks combined for the two complete game outings against RSU's top-two arms.
 
AWARDING WEEK
Lubbock Christian University senior pitcher Daniel Crooks was been named the Heartland Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for games played from April 26 - April 22.
 
LCU drew a split with Rogers State, with senior Daniel Crooks outdueling Spencer Bivens in a pitcher's matchup in the fourth game of the series, as the College Baseball News Preseason All-America selection pitched his first complete game shutout of his LCU career. Crooks claimed the win to improve to 4-3, striking out eight batters and allowing four hits in 9.0 shutout innings. The senior was 8-for-9 in keeping the leadoff batter off base and held the Hillcats into a 0-for-7 performance at the plate with runners on base. The honor is Crooks' first weekly award this season and the seventh by a Chaps pitcher.  Crooks is the fifth different Chaps pitcher to receive the honor this season.
 
DOUBLE VISION
Lubbock Christian led the Heartland Conference last season with 111 doubles. This season, they are hitting doubles near the same pace (1.98 per game this season… 2.06 last season) and have 83 through 42 games on the season. Scotland Church leads LCU with 13 on the season (tied for second in the conference), with teammate Andrew Pratt sitting behind him with 12.
 
IN THE BIG-INNING
The Chaparrals have outscored the opposition 43-13 in the first inning of play this season, which includes a mark of 22-8 in conference games. The Chaps are 16-1 this season when they score in the first inning (7-0 in conference). LCU isn't necessarily posting a dominating batting average in the first inning (.281) this season, but Logan Nethercot has 11 hits and 11 walks for a .550 on-base percentage and Scotland Church has a .412 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage in the first inning of games this season. Nethercot has 15 runs in the first inning.  LCU has also dominated in the fifth inning of games this season, outscoring opponents 64-21 (43-13 in conference) with a .392 team batting average in the inning. Andrew Pratt (.625) and Ryan Rogers (.611) are each hitting over .600 this season in fifth-inning at-bats, and the team has combined for 13 home runs during the inning.
 
COMPLETIONS
LCU's starting pitchers completed complete game outings in all four games of their series against TAMIU and have complete game pitching performances in six of their last eight games. LCU is tied for fourth nationally with 12 complete games.
 
SHOWCASE AWAITS
LCU heads home next week for their final regular season series (hosting Arkansas-Fort Smith) and Friday's doubleheader will serve as Senior Day and the games are being streamed as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase on ESPN3.  Daron Sutton, who has spent time behind the mic for MLB broadcasts and is the son of legendary MLB pitcher Don Sutton, will provide the play-by-play and former big leaguer Dmitri Young will serve as analyst.
 
ROAD TRIPPING
LCU is 11-8 on the road this season and have won their last two games on the road. This series marks their final regular season road games of the season (14-8 last season on the road). The Chaps, who opened their road schedule with wins in their first five road tilts, head to Austin with a team batting average of .294 on the road and an ERA of 4.56. Andrew Pratt leads LCU away from Hays Field, hitting .431 on the road. The Chaps have a 23-7 advantage in home runs on the road, with Ryan Rogers (six) and Pratt (five) combining for 11 homers on the road. On the hill, opponents are hitting .283 against LCU pitching away from Hays Field. LCU's pitchers have 118 strikeouts and 80 walks on the road. Chandler Casey (14K, 1BB) and Daniel Crooks (28K, 7BB) have combined for 42 strikeouts and eight walks on the road.
 
STREAKS
Many streaks ended in Claremore, Okla. last weekend. Andrew Pratt and Logan Nethercot are each on a two-game hit streak to actively lead the team heading into Austin.  Dillon Drury is riding a season best six-game streak reaching base safely, which actively leads LCU. Ryan Rogers holds the team's season high mark in hit streak (12 games) and reaching base safely (23 games).
 
HAVING HEART
The Chaps are 13-7 in conference play and hitting .327 in conference games this season. Andrew Pratt (.448) has 30 hits (in 67 at-bats) in conference play, with Scotland Church not far behind (.397, 29 hits). The Chaps have six players with at least 14 RBI in conference play, with 19 by Pratt and Ryan Rogers to top the list. LCU's pitching has a 4.28 ERA in conference play, with opponents hitting .261 against them.  Opponents have a 7.47 ERA against LCU in conference.
 
INSIDE THE CHAPS NUMBERS
.499 | LCU ranks 25th nationally with a slugging mark of .499 on the season, which leads the conference. Andrew Pratt leads the team and ranks 43rd nationally with a mark of .718 (leads conference).
1.05 | Ryan Johnson ranks 44th nationally in WHIP with a mark of 1.05, which leads the conference.
1.4 | Chandler Casey ranks 28th nationally, allowing a low of 1.4 walks per nine innings. He has allowed six in 40 innings this season.
3.73 | The Chaps ranks second in the Heartland Conference with a team ERA of 3.73, which ranks 21st nationally (St. Mary's leads the conference at 3.70).
6.2 | Ryan Johnson ranks second in the conference and ranks 30th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (6.2). Callan Johnson is third in the conference and ranks 35th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.5).
10 | Ten (10) different Chaps have at least one sacrifice fly this season. They have produced 17 as a squad.
16 | Andrew Pratt leads the Chaps with 16 multi-hit games this season.
20 | Twenty of LCU's last 21 home runs have been hit in games resulting in a win. LCU is 19-2 in games they hit home runs.
43 | Ryan Rogers leads the conference and ranks 57th nationally with 47 RBI. He has produced 14 multi-RBI games this season.
50 | The Chaps have crushed 51 home runs this season, which ranks 32nd nationally (1.2 per game ranks 32nd). Andrew Pratt (11 homers) leads the conference and Pratt ranks 53rd nationally.
 
INSIDE THIS SEASON'S SERIES WITH SEU
.211 | LCU is hitting a low of .211 against the Hilltoppers this season. Logan Nethercot and Will Clark each went .385 (5-for-13) to lead LCU in the series.
.403 | SEU has a .403 on-base percentage against LCU this season, due in part to five hit batters and 19 walks issued by LCU pitchers (12 by the LCU bullpen).
3 | LCU have three sacrifice flies in the series against SEU this season. They had seven on the season through 18 games played prior to their March non-conference series.
8-1 | SEU has an 8-1 advantage in the series in bases loaded at-bats, but they out-hit LCU 2-1 in the scenario.
10-3 | The Hilltoppers has a 10-3 scoring advantage in two-out RBI. LCU was 3-for-33 (.091) in two-out at-bats during the series.
11-9 | SEU is 11-9 since the two teams last met in March (4-4 at home, where they are 11-8 this season).
15 | William Harrison led SEU with 15 total bases in the series (off 9-for-16 batting in the series, .563). The next closest Hilltopper had six total bases.
 
HISTORY WITH SEU
LCU leads the all-time series with an advantage of 20-12 dating back to 1986. The Chaps are 10-6 all-time away from Hays Field against the 'Toppers. Last season, LCU took two-of-three games in their Heartland Conference series, but the season series ended 2-2, as SEU won the final two meetings (including a win at the Heartland Conference Tournament in Cleburne, Texas). Mix in this season, and the two teams are 4-4 against each other since the start of last season, as the two squads split a four-game nonconference series Mar. 16-17 at Hays Field.