LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (6-3)
vs. ANGELO STATE (7-3)
Friday, Feb. 17 - 1 p.m.
Foster Field (San Angelo, Texas)
 
LEADING OFF
Lubbock Christian University is on the road for the second time this season, facing Angelo State in the rubber game with the series tied at one game apiece. LCU and ASU, who plays in the Lone Star Conference, have met for a non-conference three game series every year since 2013, making this the seventh straight year that the two teams have faced off. The Chaps were the winners in game one of this year's series by a score of 6-2, marking the first time since Feb. 17, 2013 that LCU beat ASU on its home turf. The Rams took game five thanks to a five-hit performance from pitchers Trent Baker and Nick Coffman.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• LCU plays 18 of its first 23 games away from home this season
• Chaps have played the Rams 22 times since 2013, going 8-14 in that time
• Lubbock Christian starting pitchers are averaging more than six IP on the mound per appearance
• Outfielder Chase Whetsel was named Heartland Hitter of the Week for games played Feb. 4-10
• Rams entered the series 6-2 after a series split with Colorado School of Mines and a sweep of Texas A&M International
• LCU leads the Heartland Conference with 13 home runs so far this season
• The five Chaps hits in Saturday's contest were their fewest in a single game this season
• Lubbock Christian is 26-19 against Lone Star Conference opponents in the last five seasons
• LHP Ryan Johnson matched his career-high with 12 strikeouts in his last outing
 
HAVE TO WAKE UP BATS
Lubbock Christian did not score at least two runs in a game for the first time all season on Saturday as Angelo State took a 4-1 victory to even up the series on their home turf. The Chaps were held to a season low five hits, four of which came off ASU starting pitcher Trent Baker. For the season, LCU is averaging almost 12 hits per game and leads the Heartland Conference with their 106 total hits this season.
 
OUT OF THE PARK
LCU increased its hold on the Heartland Conference home run lead Friday night, hitting its 12th and 13th home run as a team. Hill Alexander had the first home run of the game, breaking a scoreless tie in the second inning with a solo shot to left center. It was his second homer of the year. Braden Hayward then followed with a three-run shot in the fourth inning for his first round tripper of the season. The next closest Heartland team, St. Mary's, has 11 home runs this season.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Chaps will play 18 of their first 23 games this season away from the friendly confines of Hays Field and City Bank Clubhouse, playing just one home series (vs. Cameron Feb. 8-10) and one midweek game (vs. New Mexico Highlands Feb. 19) before March 14. LCU was 13-14 in games away from Lubbock last season and is 72-60 in road or neutral site games over the last five seasons.
 
HEARTLAND HITTER
Lubbock Christian University outfielder Chase Whetsel was named the Heartland Conference Hitter of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday. The award was given for games played Feb. 4-10. The senior hit .587 on the weekend with seven extra base hits and a slugging percentage of 1.471. He also walked three times and was hit by a pitch for a .667 on-base percentage. He had his best performance on Monday, as he fell a double shy of the cycle but still hit two home runs, two triples and a single in a 5-6 performance. His 15 total bases in that game were the second most in school history.
 
SWING AWAY
When Nathan Blackwood is signaling from the third base coaching box, he is most likely not telling his hitter to lay down a sacrifice bunt. LCU ranked dead last in the Heartland Conference in bunts last season with just 17. The next lowest total came from Newman, but even the Jets had 27 on the year. This year, the Chaps have laid down exactly one sacrifice bunt, again ranking last in the conference.
 
MULTI-TRIPLE
Lubbock Christian is the only team in the conference with two players who have hit at least two triples this season. Chase Whetsel got both of his triples in one game (2/11 vs. Cameron), and Hill Alexander has tripled twice (2/2 vs. UCO and 2/10 vs. Cameron) this season as well. LCU has also gotten one triple each from Braden Hayward, Eddy Vasquez and James Hardberger, who hit the first of his career in Friday's series opener, and the team's seven triples are twice as many as the next closest Heartland Conference team (Oklahoma Christian, 3).
 
STARTING OFF
The Chap starting pitchers have had a strong first two weeks of the season, posting a combined earned run average of 2.44 and holding opponents to a batting average of just .192. In 51.2 innings pitched, the four starters used have combined to give up just six extra-base hits (four doubles, two home runs) while striking out 59 batters.
 
LET'S GO TO THE MONITOR
Angelo State will be utilizing a video replay system at Foster Field this season, marking the first time in program history that Lubbock Christian has played with the aid of review. Per NCAA rules, plays reviewable at the discretion of the crew chief include fair or foul balls, ground-rule double or home run, any catch or no-catch by outfielders, some no-catch instances in the infield, spectator interference and scoring plays at home plate inclusive of collisions. Plays reviewable after a coach's challenge include force and tag plays at any base, calls involving baserunners passing one another, hit-by-pitch calls, tag-up plays, non-home run boundary calls and double-play interference.
 
MANAGERIAL MOVE-UP
Former Lubbock Christian University infielder Buck Britton has been named the manager of the Double-A Bowie Baysox of the Baltimore Orioles organization for the 2019 season.This is a promotion for Britton, who spent the 2018 season managing the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds, who are also a part of the Orioles' organization. He played for the Chaps  in 2007 and 2008 and hit .385 with 18 home runs, 97 RBI and a .467 on-base percentage.
 
LOOKING AT THE LAST SERIES
Lubbock Christian earned a 3-1 series win over the Cameron Aggies, winning the last three games after dropping the first. The Chaps actually led in all four games, taking a 3-0 lead into the eighth in game one before Cameron came back to win. Starting pitchers Callan Johnson and Ryan Johnson both pitched complete games on Saturday, with the former setting a new career-high with 13 strikeouts. The Chaps averaged more than 10 runs a game in the final three games, scoring 45 in the series overall.
 
2000 AND COUNTING
Since the inception of LCU's baseball program in 1971, the Chaparrals have been one of the best baseball teams at whatever level they were playing at. Lubbock Christian has played 3,084 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,079 wins and 1,005 losses in that time for a winning percentage of .674.
 
HOMEGROWN PRODUCTS
Of the 33 players on the Lubbock Christian University baseball team this season, exactly one third (11) played high school baseball in Lubbock. Another three players on the 2019 of LCU's baseball team are from the surrounding area of Lubbock, including Idalou, New Deal and Shallowater.
 
COACHING CONSISTENCY
Lubbock Christian is bringing back the same three main coaches that have been with the team each of the last six seasons. Pitching coach Justin Sundlie, who played catcher at LCU in 2005 and 2006, is the newbie of the group, entering his seventh season with the Chaps, while head coach Nathan Blackwood and hitting coach Bob Fannin have been leading the program for the last 15 seasons. Together, the group has led LCU to a pair of first place finishes in the Heartland Conference, two NCAA South Central Regional appearances and a 221-110 (.667) won-loss record.