LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-20, 15-18 LSC) vs.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (23-11, 20-10 LSC)
Friday, May 7 – 6 p.m.
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
A series three months in the making, Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian are finally set to face off for three games on the diamond this Friday through Sunday at Hays Field. The Chaps and Eagles were originally set to play this series the second weekend of conference play (Feb. 12-14), but COVID-19 protocols forced the series to be postponed. This weekend became open with the announcement that this year's NCAA Division II Postseason Tournament would feature only a regional round, allowing for LCU and OC to make up the three missed games. The three-game series will wrap up the regular season for both teams and has implications for seeding in the Lone Star Conference Tournament on both sides.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE

• Lubbock Christian can finish as high as 6th or as low as 8th depending on games played this weekend
• Oklahoma Christian has the most home runs (61) and the top slugging percentage (.541) in the LSC
• The Chaps have hit 41 home runs this season, which is the second-most in the conference
• LCU is coming of a series loss against UT Tyler, but salvaged a win in the finale by a score of 12-8
• OC enters the final series of the year with a staff ERA of 6.45 and a .289 opponent's batting average
• Lubbock Christian will finish the regular season at home, where they have a 8-10 record this year
• Righties are batting just .257 against the LCU pitching staff
• The last time the Chaps and Eagles met in Lubbock was 2018, when LCU swept a four-game series

 
WHERE IT STANDS
It's the final weekend of the season, but there is still a lot to play for, both for LCU and its opponent. Although they have already locked up a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the Chaps can finish as high as sixth and as low as eighth. The magic number to hold onto sixth place is two. With UAFS not playing this weekend due to COVID-19 protocols, the other series to watch for the Chaps is between St. Edward's and UT Permian Basin. A combination of two either LCU wins or SEU losses would keep Lubbock Christian in sixth place and have them playing the No. 3 seed in the opening round of the LSC Tournament. West Texas A&M and Angelo State are locked into the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, respectively, but the No. 3 seed is still up for grabs between Oklahoma Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
AWARD CENTRAL
Junior right-handed pitcher Cade Acrey was named the LSC Pitcher of the Week on May 5 after a stellar performance in the series finale against UT Tyler on May 2. Coming out of the bullpen to start the third inning, Acrey ended up closing out the game with seven innings of work, allowing only two unearned runs on six hits. The outing was the longest of his LCU career and he also struck out a career-high eight batters. Acrey is four Chap recognized with a conference weekly award this season.

• Ty Stephenson, Pitcher, Feb. 9
• Luis Navarro, Hitter, April 13
• Armando Valle, Pitcher, April 20
• Cade Acrey, Pitcher, May 4

 
PITCHER'S BEST FRIEND
The Chaparrals come into the weekend ranked fifth in the nation and leading the Lone Star Conference in double plays turned with 31 on the year. Colin Gordon has played every game at shortstop this year and Caden Hensley has taken over the second base job to make up the middle infield, and George Mendazona has done the majority of the heavy lifting at third base. The pitching staff has been helpful in getting the double plays as well, recording 301 ground outs to just 266 flyouts. Acrey has been the best pitcher at inducing the double play, getting five during his 35 innings of work.
 
BOMBS AWAY
This weekend's games could be full of fireworks, with Oklahoma Christian and Lubbock Christian coming in ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in the LSC in home runs, respectively. The Eagles have hit 59 on the year and the Chaps are now up to 41. Ten different LCU players have multiple home runs this season. Luis Navarro leads the way with seven, followed by Larry Leitha (6) and Eduardo Acosta. In the series finale against UT Tyler, Chap outfielder Edgar Hernandez notched the first home run of his LCU career with a blast to right center.
 
TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
LCU has been a patient team at the plate in 2021, drawing 187 walks, which ranks No. 18 in all of NCAA Division II and is the fourth-most of any LSC team. Navarro leads the way with 29 walks, which is the 27^th most in the nation, and the catcher has his on-base percentage all the way up to .523. George Mendazona is close behind with 27 walks and a .460 on-base percentage. Nolan Machibroda is the only other Chap with at least 20 walks (21), while Caden Hensley and Colin Gordon have 19 each.
 
STREAKS AND MULTIS
Navarro had hits in all three games against UT Tyler to extend his hitting streak to 28 games. He is still 16 games shy of the LCU program record of 44 straight games set by John Harris in 1976. Mendazona and Acosta both have active hitting streaks of eight games. On the reached base streak front, Colin Gordon has a streak of 20 games, Acosta 12 games and Leitha 10 games. Acosta also leads the team with 17 multi-hit games, although Navarro is close behind with 16. Navarro leads in multi-RBI games with nine.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Chaparrals will close out the 2021 season on their home field, playing this weekend's three games Oklahoma Christian. 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. The playing dimensions of Hays Field measure 340 feet down the lines, 380 feet to the power alleys, and 400 feet to straight away center. LCU is 8-10 on their own turf this year and the program is 1,115-336 in home games all-time.
 
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. Lubbock Christian has played 3,213 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,162 wins and 1,065 losses in that time. Head coach Nathan Blackwood has been leading the program for 972 of those games, going 682-306.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES

• The Eagles have to match whatever Texas A&M-Kingsville does this weekend in order to hold on to the No. 3 spot for the conference tournament. The Javelinas are taking on Cameron in Lawton, Okla., and if they sweep, OC will also have to sweep to avoid dropping to No. 4
• Oklahoma Christian had one other LSC series canceled, missing their games against Angelo State Feb. 19-21
• OC leads the conference and ranks No. 17 in the nation with 59 home runs this year. Of those, 36 have come at their home field, while 23 have been hit on the road. Eight times this season they have hit four or more home runs in one game
• Catcher Chance Westervelt leads the conference and ranks No. 22 nationally in batting average at .437. He has nine doubles, three triples and six home runs for a slugging percentage of .697
• The Eagles have the fifth-highest staff ERA in the LSC at 6.67. They have allowed 271 runs in 297 innings of work with 299 strikeouts

 
THE SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Christian began meeting on the diamond all the way back in 1971, which was LCU's first season to field a baseball team as a four-year institution. The two teams have met 82 times in total, with the Chaps leading the series 61-21. Furthermore, LCU has won eight out of the last 10 meetings (dating back to 2017), including a four-game sweep of the Eagles the last time they visited Hays Field in 2018.