LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (13-5, 11-5, LSC) at
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (10-12, 10-10 LSC)
Saturday, March 12 – 1 p.m. (DH)
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
After a series split in a top-25 matchup on the road last weekend against Angelo State, Lubbock Christian University gets to return home to the friendly confines of Hays Field for a four-game set against Texas A&M International. Wild weather in Lubbock has forced yet another schedule change for the weekend, with the series pushing to Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The doubleheader portion of the series will still be played on Saturday. Texas A&M International has a losing record so far this season but has won 10 conference games for the first time in nine years. The won a series last weekend against St. Mary's and split with Oklahoma Christian on the road the week before.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE

• The Chaps have outscored their opponents 153-18 so far this season
• Lubbock Christian's .325 team batting average ranks No. 28 in all of Division II
• LCU took two of three from TAMIU on the road last season, with their only loss coming on a walkoff
• The Dustdevils have a team batting average of .286, which ranks right in the middle of the LSC
• Chap catcher/first basemen Jarred Gibson has a hit in all 18 games this season and is batting .400
• LCU skipper Nathan Blackwood reached the 700-win mark for his career last weekend at Angelo State
• TAMIU pitcher Christopher Sauceda leads the LSC with a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched
• Opponents this season are batting .277 against the Lubbock Christian pitching staff

 
STARTING STRONG
Lubbock Christian's starting pitching is looking to build off a strong weekend at Angelo State, where they posted an ERA of 4.05 in 20.0 innings of work. The rotation last week consisted of Ethan Coombes, Ty Stephenson, Shandon Herrera and Tyler Hardwick. The foursome held the nationally-ranked Rams to just a .259 batting average and only four extra-base hits (three doubles, one home run). Hardwick's outing was particularly impressive, as he limited ASU to just two hits in 6.0 innings of work and allowed just one runner to reach third base in his time on the mound. Overall this season, LCU starters have posted an ERA of 5.77 with a .286 opponent's batting average.
 
WITH GREAT POWER…
The Chaps also hit the ball well in San Angelo, raising their already impressive slugging percentage up to .565, which is the 10^th best mark in the nation and leads the Lone Star Conference. They have 39 doubles, six triples and 29 home runs this year, with the home run total ranking 16^th in D-II. Center fielder Larry Leitha leads the team and ranks second in the league in slugging with a .783 mark after three doubles and two home runs against the Rams. Eduardo Acosta (five doubles, five homers) is also slugging above the .700 mark as an everyday player. Grant Griffin and Cayde Ward also have their slugging percentages over .700 in limited playing time.  
 
COMEBACK KIDS
Both of LCU's wins over ASU last weekend saw the Chaps scoring in their last at-bat of the game to take the lead. They have won four games overall this season in their last at-bat, including two walkoffs against St. Mary's. The Chaps have done well so far this season to come back later in games, boasting a 4-3 record when an opponent scores first and four wins when trailing after four innings of play. Lubbock Christian's offense has been well-suited for run-scoring in general, with their 153 total ranking fourth in the LSC.
 
CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Even after facing one of the best base-stealing teams in all of the country last weekend, Lubbock Christian is still the best team in the conference at limiting the running game. With Jarred Gibson, Luis Navarro and Jaxson Edwards behind the plate in the series, LCU catchers allowed just six stolen bases in 10 attempts by the Rams. The Chap backstops have now caught 10 total runners stealing this season, which is tied for first in the conference, and their stolen base allowed percentage of .545 is the best in the league by a wide margin. Gibson leads the team with four runners caught and only five steals allowed.
 
TABLE-SETTERS
A big part of the having an offense that scores a lot of runs is putting a leadoff batter on base. It puts more stress on the pitcher while also giving the offense a chance at being productive even when getting out. The Chaps have been great at getting their leadoff guy on with a .453 leadoff on-base percentage so far this season. Acosta has been team's one-hole hitter in the majority of this year's games and therefore has the most leadoff chances at 21. He has reached base in 10 of those for a .476 OBP. Second basement Caden Hensley has the best leadoff on-base percentage, having reached base in eight of his 11 leadoff chances (.727 OBP).
 
STREAKS AND MULTIS
They say all good things must come to an end, and that is exactly what happened to Navarro's 54-game reached base streak that began during the 2021 season. The senior catcher had started the streak against the very same team he lost it against, going 1-3 with two walks against ASU on March 5, 2021. The streak ended exactly one year later, in the second game of the doubleheader last Saturday. Navarro started a new streak with a pair of doubles, and he still leads the team with six multi-RBI games. Gibson is now the team-leader in reached base streaks, with the Lubbock native having collected hits in all 18 games so far this season.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Lubbock Christian has 16 home games left overall this season after 24 on the initial schedule for the season. 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 7-3 on their home turf this year, including four straight wins, and the program is 1,124-340 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 3,254 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,180 wins and 1,074 losses in that time. For the last 18 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 701-315 record in that time.
 
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS

• Texas A&M International has the third-best fielding percentage in the conference at .969. They have committed just 22 errors in 702 chances
• Ariben Gutierrez is the team's leading hitter at .346 with 18  hits in 52 at-bats, but only one of those hits has gone for extra bases
• The Dustdevils were picked to finish 11^th in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll with 106 points, and they currently sit in seventh in the league standings
• TAMIU strikes out nearly more than anyone in the LSC, with their 165 total strikeouts ranking second in the league behind only UTPB's 190
• Matt Kissamis has a team-leading 43 total bases, batting .342 with a .566 slugging percentage

 
THE SERIES WITH THE DUSTDEVILS
Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M International have faced off 33 times overall, with the series dating back just eight years to 2014, when both teams were in the Heartland Conference. The Chaps have a 26-7 edge all-time. The only time they have lost a series to TAMIU was 2019, when the Dustdevils won two out of the three games in Laredo.