LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (34-17) vs.
ST. EDWARD'S (28-21)
Saturday, May 7 – 3 p.m.
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
It's win or go home time in the Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship for Lubbock Christian University as they host St. Edward's for game two of the best-of-three series on Saturday. LCU dropped game one of the series on Friday night 9-7, so they will have to win on Saturday to stave off elimination, while the Hilltoppers can complete the upset and advance if they win the game. Many on the LCU squad do at least have experience coming back after losing game one of the LSC tournament opening round series, because that is exactly what the Chaps did in 2021. Lubbock Christian beat Texas A&M-Kingsville 13-5 and 9-5 in games two and three to come back and take that series.
 
STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP
LCU – It was Ethan Coombes who got the start in Friday's series-opener, meaning the Chaparrals have Tyler Hardwick available for Saturday's second game of the series. Hardwick has been the regular game one starter for LCU this season, bringing a 3-3 record and 5.43 ERA to the mound. Hardwick has started 10 times and appeared out of the bullpen twice this season for a total of 54.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 39 runs on 63 hits in that time, holding opponents to a .296 batting average. The New Mexico native does not walk many batters, with just 24 free passes on the year, and he has struck out 34. In his final start of the regular season against UT Tyler, Hardwick allowed four earned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings.
 
SEU – The Chaps will face off against a southpaw on Saturday as Luke Short goes to the mound with a chance to send his team on to the next round. Short has an ERA of 4.45 in 66.2 innings, going 4-4 on the mound in 12 starts. The Sunshine State sophomore is tied for the team lead in walks with 34, but also leads the team in strikeouts with 85. He has allowed 37 runs on 65 hits, limiting opponents to a .245 batting average. When he pitched against LCU in the regular season, Short allowed four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts, taking the loss in a game where his team's offense was shut out.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
71 | Hardwick is an extreme ground ball pitcher, recording 71 outs on the ground this season compared to just 42 through the air
.432 | LCU put its leadoff batter on in five of the nine innings in the first game against St. Edward's and puts them on at a .432 clip this season
10 | Carson Ogilvie swiped two bases on Friday night and is now tied (with Eduardo Acosta) for the team lead with 10
24 | Jarred Gibson caught a runner stealing in the series-opener, giving LCU its league-leading 24^th of the season
.930 | Although they came into the series with the third-best fielding percentage I the LSC, St. Edward's made three errors on Friday and fielded at just a .930 percentage