1-seed LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (35-14, 16-5)
vs. 3-seed ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH (26-17, 13-8)
May 10 – Noon
The Depot at Cleburne Station (Cleburne, Texas)
 
LEADING OFF
Two teams enter, only one moves on in Friday's Heartland Conference Tournament battle between Lubbock Christian and  Arkansas-Fort Smith at noon. The two teams are facing off in the loser's bracket of the league tournament after LCU dropped a 3-2 decision against the 4-seed St. Edward's on Thursday. UAFS suffered a loss Thursday as well, with 2-seed Rogers State winning 4-0. The Chaps and Lions faced off in one regular season series this year, with LCU sweeping in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
 
STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP
LCU – Chandler Casey will be on the bump for the Chaps after being named to the All-Heartland Conference First Team as a relief pitcher. Casey has made a team-leading 18 appearances this season, eight of which have been as a starter. He has a 2.32 earned run average in a team-second 81.1 innings on the mound and has thrown six complete games – two of which were shutouts. He has walked just 17 batters in his time on the mound  while striking out 88 and limiting opponents to a .216 batting average. The Lubbock native started one of the games at UAFS earlier this season and carried a no-hitter into the ninth, allowing just one run on one hit with 11 strikeouts.
 
UAFS – Fresh off a Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week award, the Lions will turn to Korbin Polly to stave off elimination and keep his team's chances of an NCAA Postseason bid alive. Polly has a 2.50 earned run average this season, albeit in just 39.2 innings of work. He earned his Pitcher of the Week award by going a season-high eight innings against Newman last week, allowing just two hits in the process. Polly has struck out 32 batters this year and limited opponents to just a .258 batting average.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3-7 | Lubbock Christian is now 3-7 all-time at the Heartland Conference Tournament
7 | Chaps have won the last seven meetings against the Lions, including all of the matchups so far this year and all four games against them last season
1.41 | In eight starts this season, Chandler Casey has posted a 1.41 earned run average in 64.0 innings pitched while striking out 70 batters
5/12/17 | UAFS's last win over LCU was in the Heartland Conference Tournament in 2017, as the Lions prevailed in a 14-inning contest
.295 | In their 10 games all-time at the Heartland Tournament, LCU has hit just .295 with runners in scoring position
10 | Ryan Johnson's 10 strikeouts in Thursday's game were the most ever by an LCU pitcher at the Heartland Conference Tournament, breaking Brent Bezio's previous record of seven, which came in the 5/12/17 game against UAFS
.538 | Braden Hayward had seven hits in 13 at-bats in the three regular season games against Arkansas-Fort Smith, scoring three times and driving in another three
10-33 | Ryan Rijo had a pinch hit RBI single in the seventh inning of Thursday's game, marking the 10^th time this season an LCU bench player has come through at the plate when called upon
5 | When the Chaps score more than five runs this season they are 26-5, but when they score fewer than that they are 9-9
.262 | In 366 at-bats at the Heartland Conference Tournament all-time, LCU has just 96 hits for a .262 batting average