No.9 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (22-10, 7-3)
At ST. MARY'S (22-10, 6-4)
Saturday, Apr. 7, 2018 – 1 p.m. / 3 p.m. (DH)
Dickson Stadium (San Antonio, Texas)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 The Score
All-Time Series: LCU leads 16-14
Tweet #LCUvsStMU | Tweet #HeartlandBase
 
The No.9 Chaparrals look to bounce back from a pair of losses in a Friday doubleheader sweep, as Saturday they play another doubleheader to complete their four-game Heartland Conference series at St. Mary's.  The Chaps fell out of first place in the Heartland Conference standings, as they are 7-3 in conference play and sit behind a 6-2 mark by Arkansas-Fort Smith.  Their overall record fell to 22-10 and they are now 9-4 in road play (3-3 in road conference contets). St. Mary's improved to 16-1 this season at home and remain in third place with a 6-4 conference record. 
 
RANKINGS 
LCU: No.9 (Perfect Game), No.28 (Collegiate Baseball News), RV (NCBWA)
StMU: N/A
 
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHER
 
GAME 1
LCU – Callan Johnson (5-1, 2.53 ERA)
Johnson takes the hill for his eighth start of the season. He has held opponents to a .182 batting average this season and has 42 strikeouts in 39 innings of work. He has claimed wins in his prior two starts and allowed four runs (three earned) off five hits in 4.2 innings of work in his last outing (at Newman) to claim his fifth win of the season (5-1).
 
StMU – Branson Hall (2-3, 2.86 ERA)
A junior right-hander from Lubbock, Texas will start on the mound for the Rattlers.  Hall, a transfer from Frank Phillips, will make his team-leading 10^th appearance, but his second start of the season. He has held opponents to a .218 average this season. He did not allow a run off three hits in 6.0 innings against Rogers State, which was his longest appearance of the season. Hall prepped at Monterey High School in Lubbock.
 
GAME 2
LCU – Daniel Crooks (3-2, 4.02 ERA)
Crooks is projected to start in the second game and is seeking his ninth appearance and eighth start of the season. Crooks is coming off a 6.0 inning outing last week at Newman in which he allowed two runs off six hits and matched a season high with seven strikeouts.
 
StMU – Octavio Rodriguez (0-1, 4.85 ERA)
Rodriguez is slated for his third start of the season. A redshirt senior, Rodrguez would mark the third lefty to start in the series for StMU. The El Paso, Texas native has not pitched more than 3.1 innings in an appearance this season, but has held opponents to a .222 batting average. The White Sox draft selection transferred to StMU from Auburn. 
 
LOOKING BACK
LCU suffered consecutive losses for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, falling 3-1 and 6-1 at St. Mary's University Friday, as LCU was held to five hits in the opening doubleheader of their four-game Heartland Conference series at Dickson Stadium.
  
ROAD SHOW
LCU is 9-4 on the road this season, with a team batting average of .311 and an ERA of 3.83. Andrew Pratt is hitting .426 away from home and Ryan Rogers has 19 RBI in road games. Pratt (six doubles and five home runs), who has a .526 on-base percentage mark on the road, has 11 extra-base hits on the road. On the hill, LCU pitching has held opponents to a .256 average on the road. LCU's bullpen has 33 strikeouts in 34.1 innings on the road and has held opponents to a .256 average, while the home team's bullpens have a 7.30 ERA against the Chaps.
 
STREAKS
Several streaks came to a halt for LCU, with only five combined hits Friday. Included in the mix was Ryan Rogers season high streak of 24 games reaching base safely, which leads the team on the season. Andrew Pratt now holds the active lead, reaching base in the previous 12 games. Keaton Greenwalt has a five-game hits streak, which leads the team. He is 8-for-18 (.444) during the streak.
 
HAVING HEART
LCU's 7-3 conference start has been spearheaded by a .333 team batting average and a pitching staff that has held opponents to a .235 batting average. Keaton Greenwalt leads the Chaps with a .472 average (17-of-36) in conference tilts. His 17 hits is just ahead of Ryan Rogers, who is hitting .405 in conference. Braden Hayward leads the squad with 12 RBI in conference action. Greenwalt (.500) and Andrew Pratt (.500) each have at least a .500 on-base percentage in conference. LCU's starting rotation has a 3.21 ERA in conference play, holding the opposition to a .225 average at the plate.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES VS. StMU
.571 | Ragan Forest leads StMU in the series (4-for-7) and has two doubles, marking StMU's only extra-base hits in the series.
1 | The Chaps were 1-for-17 (.059) Friday with runners on base and 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.  They were 0-for-15 with runners on base in the second game. StMU had seven hits with runners on base (.318) and all seven came with runners in scoring position.
2 | LCU's loss in the opener marked the second time LCU has lost when they hit a home run in a game this season (Keaton Greenwalt went deep for his second homer of the season).  They are now 14-2 in games in which they produce at least one home run.
3 | LCU scored the opening run in the second game, resulting in the third time this season they have lost when scoring the game's first run. They are now 14-3 when scoring first.
5 | The five errors by StMU in the second game were the most by an opposing team against LCU this season. The last time an opposing team had more was on Mar. 31, 2017 (Texas A&M International with seven). The last time an opposing team committed five errors against the Chaps and won was on April 7, 2015 against West Texas A&M. On Mar. 13, 2015 in San Antonio, StMU committed five errors in a 3-1 StMU win.
5 | StMU produced five sacrifice bunts Friday. LCU had allowed 15 prior to Friday on the season.
6-0 | StMU had a 6-0 scoring advantage Friday in two-out RBI.
9 | There were a combined 10 foul-outs Friday, with LCU hitting into six (four in the second game).
 
HISTORY WITH StMU
LCU and St. Mary's have met 30 prior times dating back to 1978 and the all-time series is led by LCU 16-14. LCU went 7-0 against StMU last season. Prior to 2014, the two teams had not met since Feb. 5, 2000. LCU is 7-10 all-time against StMU away from Hays Field.