LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-5, 15-5, LSC) at
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (10-15, 10-13 LSC)
Thursday, March 17 – 6 p.m.
Nolan Ryan Field – Kingsville, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
Coming off of a convincing four-game sweep in which they outscored Texas A&M International 55-24, Lubbock Christian University will face a tough test as they hit the road for four games against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Javelinas not only boast the Lone Star Conference's best ERA at 3.89, but they will be looking for revenge after the Chaps upset them in the LSC Tournament last year on the very same field the two teams will play on this weekend. LCU lost game one of that opening-round series last year and seemed destined to fall to the No. 3-seed TAMUK until Larry Leitha clubbed a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth. The Chaps won the third game later that day to advance in the tourney.
 
THE CHAPARRAL NINE

• The Chaps rank No. 2 in the nation in slugging percentage with a mark of .619
• Lubbock Christian has four players who have hit at least five home runs this season
• LCU and TAMUK split the season series 3-3 during the 2021 season
• The Javelinas are coming off of a split at St. Mary's, where they took the first and final games
• Chap catcher/first basemen Luis Navarro ranks second in the LSC with an OBP of .546
• LCU moved back into the national rankings this week at No. 24 in the NCBWA poll
• TAMUK currently sits in fifth place in the LSC with a 14-6 league record
• Opponents this season are batting .277 against the Lubbock Christian pitching staff

 
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The Chaparrals have done a great job so far this season of getting out in front of their opponents with runs early on in the game. In the most recent series against the Dustdevils, LCU was on the scoreboard in the first three innings of the game, including twice with runs in the bottom of the first. Overall, Lubbock Christian has out-scored its opponents 23-7 in the first inning alone and 42-18 in the first three innings combined. Texas A&M International only scored one run in the first inning of any of the four games, and in that contest, LCU immediately responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
POP GO THE CHAPS
Lubbock Christian enters the weekend with a slugging percentage of .619 that not only leads the Lone Star Conference but ranks No. 2 nationally. The next-closest LSC team is West Texas A&M, and at .525, the Buffs are nearly 100 percentage points behind. LCU has 440 total bases, with 51 doubles, eight triples and 42 home runs. The home run mark is also good enough to rank No. 4 in the nation, only seven back of the national leader Oklahoma Baptist. Individually, Leitha leads the team in slugging, and his mark of .818 is good enough to rank second in the conference. Eduardo Acosta (.747), Luis Navarro (.730) and Mason Donohoe (.708) all rank inside the league's top 10 as well.
 
WAY-TO-GO DONAHOE
Donohoe's slugging percentage is at its high point of the season (so far) thanks to a huge weekend at Hays Field against Texas A&M International. Starting as the designated hitter in all four games against the Dustdevils, he hit .615 and walked four times for a .722 on-base percentage. Coming into the series, and even after the first two games against TAMIU, Donohoe had yet to homer yet this season. That all changed in game three, when he homered three times, becoming the first Chap to accomplish that feat this season. He added another round-tripper in game four. Overall, the Round Rock, Texas, native slugged 1.692 (he had two doubles as well) and drove in 10 runs for the weekend. He is now third on the team with a .396 batting average.
 
WALKIN' ON SUNSHINE
Even with their ability to hit the ball and hit it a long way, the Chaps aren't just swinging from the heels every time they are at the plate. LCU is third in the league in on-base percentage at .444, having drawn 109 walks and been hit by 23 pitches so far this season. Navarro is the team-leader in both on-base percentage (.546) and walks (20), with those two numbers ranking second and third on the LSC leaderboards, respectively. Second basemen Caden Hensley is second on the team in walks with 16, and his on-base percentage of .447 out of the nine-hole has a huge impact. Another six Chaps have OBPs above the .400 mark.
 
CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Texas A&M International attempted only one stolen base during the four games against the Chaps last weekend, and while they were successful with it, LCU's reputation for shutting down the run game is obviously starting to proceed them. Lubbock Christian has the lowest stolen base allowed percentage in the Lone Star Conference at 56.5 percent, and they are tied for the league lead in runners caught with 10. UAFS and St. Mary's have also caught 10 runners apiece but have allowed steals at much higher rates. LCU uses three catchers regularly with Jarred Gibson leading the way with four runners caught. Jaxson Edwards has three in just nine games played and Navarro has nabbed a pair.
 
STREAKS AND MULTIS
Not only is he good behind the plate, but Gibson has hit the ball well this season and was the only remaining Chap with a hit in every game heading into the TAMIU series. That streak came to an end, but the Lubbock native reached base in every game he played and has reached in all 21 this year. Leitha now has the team's longest hitting streak at 14 games, and George Mendazona is right behind him with a 13-game streak. Mendazona has reached base in 15 straight games overall. Acosta, Navarro and Gibson are tied for the team lead with 10 multi-hit games apiece, and Navarro and Leitha each have seven multi-RBI games.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Chaps have played two series on the road, going 6-2 at the unfriendly confines so far, including a sweep of Oklahoma Christian and a split at Angelo State. They have not hit as well away from Hays Field with a .281 team batting average, but four Chaps are hitting better than .300 in road games. The pitching has been solid on the road though, with a 5.03 staff ERA and .234 opponent's batting average. Texas A&M-Kingsville plays at Nolan Ryan Field, which opened in 1994 and is named after the MLB all-time strikeout leader because he helped raise the capitol to build it. The playing dimensions are 330 down the lines, 375 to the gaps and 400 to dead center.
 
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 3,258 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,184 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 705-315 record in that time.
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS

• Texas A&M-Kingsville has a team fielding percentage of .955, which is the fourth-worst in the Lone Star Conference
• TAMUK's Brandon Symmank is the conference leader in earned run average with a mark of 1.73 in 26.0 innings of work
• The Javelinas missed four games at the end of February, postponing their LSC series scheduled against Arkansas-Fort Smith
• TAMUK struggled to hit in their season-opening series against Cameron, which they split, but they have since improved their team batting average to .311, which is the fourth-best mark in the LSC
• The Javelinas have won seven out of their last nine games, including a sweep at home against Oklahoma Christian

 
THE SERIES WITH THE JAVELINAS
Lubbock Christian only played Texas A&M-Kingsville twice before the former joined the Lone Star Conference not long ago. The Chaps lost those two meetings, which were in 2003, and were swept in the series their first season in the LSC. LCU finally got a win last season and split the season series three games apiece in 2021. They trail in the all-time series 9-3.