LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (16-8)
vs. UAFS (13-7)
March 16 – 1 p.m. (DH)
Crowder Field (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
 
LEADING OFF
Lubbock Christian begins its last season of Heartland Conference play this weekend as the Chaps hit the road to face Arkansas-Fort Smith in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday. This will be the last Heartland-opener series ever because the conference will merge with the Lone Star Conference in the summer of 2019. The Chaps are not completely finished with the non-conference games on the schedule, but have fared well so far, posting a 16-8 record in their first 24 games. LCU has won three straight series leading into the weekend, taking two of three from St. Mary's, three of four from St. Edward's and three of four from Texas A&M-International.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• Chaps played just four games against UAFS in 2018, sweeping the then-No. 16 Lions
• LCU pitcher Nathan Dockery was named the Heartland Pitcher of the Week March 17
• Lubbock Christian ranks No. 8 nationally with 31 home runs this season
• LCU's staff ERA of 3.50 and is the only team ERA sub-4.00
• Chap batters are hitting .315 with runners in scoring position
• LHP Ryan Johnson ranks No. 12 nationally with 55 strikeouts
• Andrew Pratt's seven home runs lead the Heartland and rank No. 23 nationally
• LCU is ranked in a pair of national polls: CBN-26, Perfect Game-12
 
FROM THE HEART(LAND)
This weekend marks the opening of Heartland Conference play around the league, as the eight teams begin the quest for the 2019 regular season title. St. Edward's was picked to win the conference in the 2019 preseason poll with 115 total points and seven first place votes. The Chaps were picked a close second with 11 points and seven first place votes as well. For LCU, this is the sixth season of Heartland Conference play. They were 17-11 in Heartland play last season and are 92-41 in Heartland Conference games all-time, finishing in first place in both the 2014 and 2017 seasons.
 
DON'T TALK ABOUT IT
Starting pitchers Nathan Dockery and Logan McCrummen were dominant this past weekend against Texas A&M-International, as both hurlers threw one-hit complete game shutouts in 10-0 and 11-1 LCU wins. Dockery's lone hit was the first batter of the game, and he retired 14 straight at one point, allowing two other baserunners via walks. McCrummen went the first six and one third innings without allowing a hit before finally giving up a single in the seventh. Ryan Johnson was the last Chap pitcher to throw a one-hitter, doing so against Metro State on Feb. 23, 2017, but no LCU pitchers have thrown back-to-back one-hitters in the last 10 years.
 
HALFWAY POINT
After the first game of the UAFS series, Lubbock Christian will be exactly halfway through with its 2019 regular season campaign, with similar numbers to the first 25 games of the 2018 season. The Chaps are hitting slightly better (.313 vs. .303), but have scored fewer runs (172 vs. 183). On the mound they have a slightly higher ERA (3.50 vs. 3.48) but have a slightly lower opponent's batting average (.239 vs. .250). The 2018 team was 18-7 through the first 25 games, while a win in game one of the series against the Lions would make the 2019 Chaps 17-8.
 
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
Nathan Dockery's strong performance on the mound against Texas A&M-International earned him Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for games played March 11-17. The performance lowered Dockery's ERA to just 3.75 and his opponent's batting average to .244. e also has 18 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched. The Amarillo native is the first Lubbock Christian pitcher to be given the award this season and joins Chase Whetsel and Andrew Pratt, who were named Hitters of the Week, as the three LCU players honored by the conference in 2018.
 
SOLO SHOTS
With 31 home runs as a team already this season, Lubbock Christian leads the Heartland Conference ranks No. 8 nationally. More than half (18) of those home runs, however, have been without runners on base, and 10 of them have come when the batter was leading off an inning. Last season, when LCU also led the conference with 63 home runs, only 22 of them (35%) were of the one-run variety. The Chaps' have also hit nine two-run homers and four three-run homers this year.  No LCU batter has hit a grand slam to this point in the year.
 
MULTI-HOMER PERFORMANCES
Through the first 24 games of the season, four different Chaparral batters have already delivered with single game multi-homer performances. First basemen James Hardberger was the first two do it with a pair of four-baggers on 2/3 vs. Missouri Southern St. Two different players had multi-homer games at the same time on 2/11, as both Keaton Greenwalt and Chase Whetsel homered twice against Cameron. Andrew Pratt is the only Chap with multiple multiple-homer games this season, hitting two on both 3/1 vs. St. Mary's and 3/8 vs. St. Edward's.
 
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 conference in bunts last season with just 17. The next lowest total came from Newman, but even the Jets had 27. This year, the Chaps have laid down exactly four sacrifice bunts, again ranking last in the conference. They did not have a single sacrifice bunt in their most recent series against St. Mary's and second basemen Eddy Vasquez is the only LCU hitter with multiple sac bunts on the year.
 
MAJOR-LEAGUE CONNECTION
With MLB spring training under way and opening day right around the corner, a pair of former Chaparral baseball players have been busy. Buck Britton (IF, 2007-08) and Wigberto Nevarez (C, 2013-14) are both now in the coaching ranks in professional baseball. Britton was promoted and named the Double-A manager for the Bowie Baysox of the Baltimore Orioles organization. Nevarez has just ended his playing career and will serve as a coach with the Single-A Rome Braves of the Atlanta Braves organization.
 
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 3,095 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,089 wins and 1,010 losses in that time.
 
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 231-115 (.667) won-loss record.