ODESSA, Texas - Lubbock Christian heads away from Hays Field for the first time this season, traveling down the road to Odessa to face rival UTPB in a four game series this weekend.

Lubbock Christian (3-1. 3-1 LSC) at UTPB (1-3, 1-3 LSC)
Odessa, Texas - Roden Field
Friday, Feb. 10 - 1:00 PM
Saturday, Feb. 11 - 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM
Sunday, Feb. 12 - 12:00 PM

LEADING OFF 
Lubbock Christian is coming off a 3-1 series victory over Cameron this past weekend. The Chaps dropped the first game 8-7 before winning the next three. LCU scored 45 runs in the first weekend of play, the most in the Lone Star Conference and fourth in Division-II. Lubbock Christian scored 20 runs in a 20-12 victory over Cameron on Feb. 5, the first time the Chaps have scored 20 runs in a game since defeating UTPB 23-5 in a seven-inning contest on Apr. 23, 2022. LCU scored 20 runs against Cameron last season as well, knocking off the Aggies 20-5 in Lawton, Okla. on Apr. 15, 2022. Oddly enough, the Chaps also had 21 hits in that game against the Aggies.

THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• Eduardo Acosta was named LSC Hitter of the Week and NCBWA Regional Hitter of the Week for his play vs Cameron
• Acosta's .706 batting average ranks second in the conference and fourth in all of Division-II after opening weekend. His 12 total hits are the most of any batter so far in Division-II this season, as are his 11 runs scored. Acosta's eight RBI are 10th in the country and third in the Lone Star Conference.
• Chris Shull ranks first in the conference and second in D-II with 11 RBI. Shull hit a walk-off grand slam against Cameron on Feb. 4
• Nate Van Maanen ranks second in the conference and ninth in D-II with nine RBI
• Ryan Markwardt's nine strikeouts is tied for the third-most in the Lone Star Conference
• Jacob Gutierrez finished a home run short of the cycle, on Feb. 5, batting 5-for-6 with a double, a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. He also stole two bases against the Aggies

ACOASTING
Eduardo Acosta opened up the season with a bang, batting .706 this weekend in the Chaps' opening series against Cameron. In the final game of the series, Acosta saved his best for last, going 5-for-5 at the plate with five RBIs and four runs scored. He also helped turn two double plays, including the final out of the contest in LCU's 20-12 win over Cameron.
Acosta's .706 batting average ranks second in the conference and fourth in all of Division-II after opening weekend. His 12 total hits are the most of any batter so far in Division-II this season, as are his 11 runs scored. Acosta's eight RBI are 10th in the country and third in the Lone Star Conference.

EARLY AND OFTEN
LCU has scored in the first inning in all four games so far this season, outscoring their opponents 8-1 in the opening frame. Acosta has scored four of those runs for the Chaparrals. LCU dropped four runs on Cameron in the first inning on Feb. 4, pulling away for a 10-8 victory.

DON'T RUN
This season, the Chaps have caught four runners trying to steal base, tied with Oklahoma Christian for the most in the Lone Star Conference. Bo Hogeboom gunned out a pair of runners in his first start behind the plate for Lubbock Christian vs Cameron on Feb. 3. Pitchers Aydan Alger and Marcos Escalera have also snuffed out attempts with pickoff moves this past weekend against the Aggies

MARKKKKKKKKKWARDT 
Coming out of the bullpen on Feb. 5, Ryan Markwardt went the final six innings of the Chaps' 20-12 win over the Aggies, striking out nine batters and getting his first win as a Chaparral. Markwardt's nine strikeout's are the third-most in the Lone Star Conference for any pitcher this season.

PITCHER'S BEST FRIEND
All of the pitchers on LCU's staff, however, have benefited from a solid infield defense behind them. Acosta at third, Carson Ogilvie at shortstop and Caden Hensley and Ryan Ball have split playing time at second so far this season. Nate Van Maanen and Jarred Gibson have split time at first base. The Chaparral infield has turned seven double plays so far this season, the most in the LSC and in all of Division-II.

REGIONALLY RECOGNIZED
In the NCBWA preseason regional poll, the Chaps were voted seventh, earning 28 points. It is the first time the Chaps have been ranked in the NCBWA preseason region poll since 2018, when LCU was picked second in the initial region rankings. LCU finished that season 34-20, falling to St. Edward's in the Heartland Conference Championship. Eduardo Acosta earned All-Region Team honors for the first time in his career. Acosta is the first Chap to earn NCBWA Preseason All-Region honors since Chandler Casey and Andrew Pratt were named to the team in 2019.
Acosta was also the first Chap to be honored with a regional weekly award from the NCBWA since Chandler Casey earned South Central Region Pitcher of the Week on May 1, 2019, being named NCBWA Region Hitter of the Week on Feb. 8.


STREAKS AND MULTIS
Acosta is the team leader in both hit streak and reached base streak for the Chaps, Acosta has recorded a hit in 18 straight games dating back to last season, recording five hits with five RBI and four runs on Feb. 5 vs Cameron. Ogilvie has reached in 16 straight games, the second-most on the team. He has recorded a hit in ten straight games, including a 2-for-3 outing with four runs and his first home run of the season on Feb. 5 vs Cameron.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Lubbock Christian will play 24 games on the road this season, all of those being Lone Star Conference matchups. The Chaps will travel as far away from Lubbock as Fort Smith, Arkansas (529 miles) and Laredo, Texas (524 miles), but will also stay close to home with trips to Odessa, Texas (119 miles) and Portales, N.M (91 miles). LCU went 14-10 on the road last season, but won only two road series, taking three out of four games from Texas A&M-Kingsville and sweeping Oklahoma Christian. Lubbock Christian has not had a losing record in away games in a full season since 2018 when they went 11-12 away from Hays Field. The Chaps did go 5-8 away from home in the COVID shortened 2020 campaign.

2000 & 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 3,281 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,204 wins and 1,088 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 725-329 record in that time. 

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
- UTPB enters the weekend 1-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference after dropping a series to St. Mary's.
- Cole Tague leads the Falcons pitching, going 4.2 IP on Feb. 6 vs St. Mary's, allowing three hits while walking four and striking out four batters.
- Carson Johnson leads the Falcons with a .500 BA. His 1.545 OPS and 1.000 slugging percentage are both inside the top-10 in the LSC. Johnson finished a triple short of the cycle on Feb. 6 vs St. Mary's, going 3-for-5 with a HR, 2B, one run and two RBI
- UTPB has been patient at the plate, with only 19 strikeouts by Falcon batters so far this season, the third lowest mark in the LSC.
- However, UTPB pitchers have walked the second-most batters in the conference so far this season, with 23 opposing batters earning free passes.
- After turning Ottawa University around in four seasons, Gabe Grinder was named Head Coach of UT Permian Basin Baseball.  Grinder led the Braves to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference title and reached as high as No. 12 in the nation in 2022.  Under his watch, the Braves went 117-64 (.646) including 43-10 last season, which broke the school record set in 2021. 

THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS
Lubbock Christian leads the all-time series 31-4 over UTPB. All four of the Falcons' wins have come in Odessa, as UTPB is 9-4 at home against LCU. UTPB's last win in the series came in game one of a three-game set on Apr. 23, 2021, an 8-7 win for the Falcons. LCU has won seven straight over UTPB, outscoring the Falcons 61-11 in four games last season, including a 23-5 win and two 10-0 victories at Hays Field.

A SERIES WIN WOULD 
- Be the third straight series win over UTPB
- Be the first road series win since Mar. 17-19, 2022 (Won three out of four games at Texas A&M-Kingsville)

UP NEXT
The Chaps return to Hays Field for a Homecoming weekend showdown with RV UT-Tyler. The first game is set for Friday, Feb. 17 with first pitch at 4:00 PM