LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-21, 15-19 LSC) vs.
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (24-12, 21-10 LSC)
Saturday, May 8 – 2 p.m.
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas

LEADING OFF
Despite hitting three home runs in Friday night's contest, Lubbock Christian University dropped the series opener to Oklahoma Christian 11-7 on Friday night and will need a win on Saturday to even up the series at one game apiece. Friday night's came was a microcosm of the Chaps' 2021 season, as they hit the ball well (.300 team batting average), but could not put up enough zeroes on the mound (5.84 team ERA). It will be a tough task again on Saturday for both teams' pitchers, as the wind looks to be blowing upwards of 25 miles per hour straight out of Hays Field.
 
WHERE IT STANDS
The Chaparrals did get some help lest night from UT Permian Basin, who walked off to win 10-9 in game one of the series against St. Edward's. That means LCU needs just one win in the next two games (or for the Hilltoppers to lose the series finale against UTPB) in order to clinch the No. 6 spot heading into the LSC Tournament next week. OC did what they needed to do Friday night to stay in the No. 3 seed ahead of Texas A&M-Kingsville, even though the Javelinas came back and won a wild one 18-16 in 10 innings over Cameron.
 
STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP
LCU – Right-hander Peyton Hutson will go to the mound for the Chaps on Saturday, making just his second start of the 2021 season. He was the Chaps' Opening Day starter against Central Missouri at the Houston Winter Invitational but has pitched solely out of the bullpen since that time. In his one start, Hutson allowed five earned runs in 3.2 innings of work, striking out five batters in the process. For the season, he is tied for the most appearances on the team with 14, posting an ERA of 4.97 in 29 innings of work. He has allowed 27 hits and walked 22 batters while striking out 30. Hutson has been especially good against right-handed batters, who have a .233 average (20-86) against him.
 
OC – Jacob Mattox is the likely candidate to get the ball for the Eagles, bringing a 7.11 ERA in 25.1 innings of work to the mound. He will be making his 14^th appearance overall, but just his sixth start. He has allowed 23 runs (20 earned) on 24 hits. He has struggled with command, walking 22 batters, but has good enough stuff to have racked up 37 strikeouts this year. Opponents are batting just .253 against him on the year. In his most recent start against Arkansas-Fort Smith, Mattox allowed five runs on six hits and five walks while striking out five in four innings of work.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.233 | Chap starter Peyton Hutson has been especially good this season against right-handed batters, who are hitting just .233 (20-86) against him
3 | LCU's three home runs allowed on Friday night were tied for their most in a single game this season. They only other time they allowed three home runs was in the March 26 series-opener at St. Edward's
.417 | Going 2-for-4 with a single and a double, Chap catcher Luis Navarro raised his batting average ever so slightly to .417. He still trails the conference leader – OC's Chance Westervelt – although his batting average dropped slightly to .435
51 | With three runs in the first inning on Friday, Lubbock Christian has now scored 51 runs in the opening frame this season. It is by far their highest-scoring inning, with their 43 runs in the seventh coming in as the second-most
5.2 | Although Friday night starter Armando Valle did not last long, reliever Owen Woodward ate up the final 5.2 innings, saving the rest of the Chap bullpen for Saturday and Sunday