LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (6-12, 6-12) vs.
UT TYLER (16-2 16-2)
Friday, March 6, 2020 – 6 p.m.
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
For the first time this season, the Lubbock Christian baseball team has won three games in a row, having taken the last series they played against Texas A&M-International three games to one. The Chaps got strong pitching in the series with a 2.04 earned run average and improved hitting with a team batting average of .258, including .500 averages from both Jaxon Shirley and Skyler Nelson. LCU is now 6-12 on the season and will look to continue their win streak as they welcome UT Tyler to Hays Field this weekend. The Patriots are playing in their first season at the Division II level, after previously playing 16 seasons at the Division III level.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• Lubbock Christian and UT Tyler have never met in the history of the two programs
• LCU ranks No. 19 nationally and second in the LSC with six triples this season
• UT Tyler began its baseball program in 2004 and has an all-time record of 510-183
• Chaps hit three home runs against TAMIU last weekend, doubling their season total
• Lubbock Christian ranks No. 8 nationally and second in the LSC with 15 double plays this season
• The Chaps have stolen 22 bases already this year, which is just four less than they stole in all of 2019
• UTT starting pitcher Austin Schneider is the reigning NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week
• LCU is batting .270 at home this season, 22 points higher than their overall batting average
 
WALK IT LIKE I TALK IT
Lubbock Christian's 91 drawn walks rank just sixth in their own conference, one behind Tarleton in fifth, but that number is good enough to rank No 14 nationally among the 243 Division II baseball teams. If they continue at their current pace, the Chaps will draw 252 walks this season, which is 68 more than they drew during the 2019 campaign. It would also be the most walks in a season by an LCU team since 2011, when they drew 326. Catcher Luis Navarro is the team's walk leader, having drawn 18 this season. George Mendazona is the only other Chap in double-figures with 11. All of the walks drawn have led the Chaps to a team on-base percentage of .363.
 
MIX N' MATCH
Through the first 18 games of the season, LCU head baseball coach Nathan Blackwood has used 17 different starting lineups, submitting the exact same lineup card just twice. The only time that a lineup has repeated was in games two and three of the season at St. Edward's. Only four players have started in all 18 games of the season, and 14 different position players have seen at least one game in the starting lineup. Even those players who have seen regular time in the starting lineup have moved up and down the batting order, evidenced by the six different batters who have started at least one game in the leadoff spot.
 
THE LONELIEST NUMBER
In last weekend's series against Texas A&M-International, Lubbock Christian's only loss was by a score of 1-0, becoming the sixth game of the LCU season decided by just one run. In those one-run games, the Chaps have managed just one win, which came in the series finale against on against St. Mary's on February 9 by a score of 2-1. Last season, LCU was 6-6 in one-run games, but they had a winning record at 8-4 in one-run games during the 2018 season.
 
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
The Chaps rank in the top 10 nationally in exactly one team category this season – double plays turned. The Chaps have turned 15 double plays so far this season, including three in their most recent series at TAMIU. It puts them on pace to turn 42 during the entirety of the 2020 season, which is exactly how many they turned in 2019. LCU's most double plays turned in a season in the last 10 years was in 2016, when they turned 49. The Chap pitching staff has is ground ball heavy with 162 groundouts to just 130 flyouts, but most of that difference can be attributed to starting pitcher Ty Stephenson, who has gotten 45 groundouts and just 17 flyouts.
 
SETTING THE TABLE
One area where Lubbock Christian has excelled this season is in getting their leadoff batter on base, which they have done more than 40 percent of the time. In 155 leadoff opportunities, the batter has reached base 63 times this year. Six different Chap batters have seen time in the leadoff batter this season, led by Mendazona who has done it six times. Mendazona has reached base in eight of his 21 opportunities to lead off an inning (.381 OBP), but LCU's best leadoff batter has been Larry Leitha, but Trevor Andrus hit in the leadoff spot in three of the four games against TAMIU and has a OBP of .400 (4-10) when leading off an inning this season.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Chaps will play games 8-11 of 27 scheduled home games this weekend, which is up from just 22 home games a season ago. They are 1-6 at home so far this season. All of LCU's home games are played at Hays Field. Originally dedicated on April 29, 1978 as Chaparral Stadium, the complex was renamed Hays Field in 1999 to honor the L.D., Pearl, Larry, and Daren Hays families for their dedication and commitment to the ideals and values of Lubbock Christian University. Lubbock Christian has never finished a season with a losing record at home and is 1,106-323 in their own ballpark all-time.
 
NEW-LOOK CHAPS
Of the 145 hits LCU's offense has collected so far this season, a whopping 82.8 percent (120) have come from players who were not on the team a season ago, as the Chaps lost all nine of their starting position players from the 2019 roster. Furthermore, 102 of the 151 and two thirds innings pitched (67.4 percent) this season have come from hurlers who did not throw for LCU last year. Stephenson has been the most used pitcher, throwing 33.2 innings across five starts with a 3.48 ERA. Newcomers Grant Griffin, Jaxon Shirley and Mendazona all currently have batting averages over the .300 mark.
 
HOMEGROWN PRODUCTS
Of the 37 players on the 2020 Lubbock Christian roster, more than one fourth (10) played their high school baseball in Lubbock. Six played right across the street from Hays Field at Lubbock Christian High School, as well as one from Frenship, one from Cooper, one from Coronado and one from Lubbock High. There are another two from the immediate surrounding area, playing their prep ball in New Deal and Shallowater.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS

• UT Tyler currently leads the Lone Star Conference with a staff earned run average of 2.90 in 152.1 innings pitched.
• Only two of the teams the Patriots have faced so far this year have winning records (UAFS and Tarleton), and the combined record of their five opponents is well below .500 at 35-55. Conversely, LCU has played just one team (TAMIU) with a losing record and their opponents are a combined 51-39
• Probable game three starting pitcher Garrett Arrendondo is the current Lone Star Conference ERA leader at 1.16 in 23 and a third innings. He has allowed just 16 hits and eight walks while striking out 31 batters
• The Patriots captured the NCAA Division III National Championship, posting a season record of 40-8 and beating Texas Lutheran in two straight games to capture the title
• UT Tyler is no slouch at the plate either, holding the fourth-best batting average in the LSC at .303. Jordan Gochenour leads the offense with a .385 batting average and .631 slugging percentage

 
THE SERIES WITH UT TYLER
The Patriots began their baseball program with the 2004 season, but in the last 16 seasons Lubbock Christian has not ever met them on the diamond.