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23_SB_Gameday_21_22

Pair of Programs Tied In LSC Standings Open Doubleheader in Oklahoma

| By: Chris Due (chris.due@lcu.edu)

LCU and OC Are Each 6-3 in LSC Play to Open Road Series

OKLAHOMA CITY, Texas (March 3, 2023) – No. 7 Lubbock Christian University heads to the Sooner State for a Lone Star Conference series at Oklahoma Christian, with a doubleheader Friday to jumpstart the three-game road series at Lawson Plaza.
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL
OPPONENT LOCATION DAY TIME (CT) WATCH STATS
Okla. Christian Oklahoma City, Okla. Fri., Mar. 3 2 p.m. Video Stats
Okla. Christian Oklahoma City, Okla. Fri., Mar. 3 4 p.m. Video Stats
Okla. Christian Oklahoma City, Okla. Sat., Mar. 4 12 p.m. Video Stats
WEATHER
 
LCU and OC Series Snapshot
  • LCU leads the all-time series over OC, 37-19, with LCU sweeping OC (8-7-4-3) in a pair of road games in Oklahoma City (Mar. 4, 2022), but OC bounced back with a 10-9 13-inning victory over LCU in Tyler, Texas at the LSC Championships. The 56 all-time meetings marks OC as LCU's most common opponent all-time.
  • OC has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
  • LCU, sweeping the two-game regular season series in Oklahoma City, jumped to a 12-11 all-time record in OKC against OC.
  • Kasey Flores is 5-for-11 (.455) with a double, home run and five RBI in three meetings against OC over her career.
  • Maxine Valdez has a career 2.07 ERA against OC in five career appearances. Valdez has 24 strikeouts in 20.1 career innings verses OC.
 
How is the Team Doing?
  • LCU is 16-4 this season and coming off a three-game home sweep over Texas Wesleyan (LSC games) for a six-game win streak (placed their LSC record to 6-3).
  • This season's 16-4 stretch includes a 10-game and six-game win streak.
  • The Lady Chaps are hitting .366 as a team (10th nationally), with 21 home runs (14th nationally) in 20 games. LCU averages 6.8 runs a contest (26th nationally).
  • In the circle, LCU has an ERA of 1.61 (19th nationally and second in the LSC). Opponents are hitting .165 against LCU this season (second in LSC). The staff has a WHIP of 0.87 (sixth nationally) and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.97 (ranks 19th nationally).
  • LCU leads the nation in doubles (48) and is seventh in doubles per game (2.4).
  • The Lady Chaps have batted in 111 innings this season. They have scored at least one run in 59 of them (53.2% of the innings).
  • Defensively, LCU ranks 19th nationally with a 97.7% fielding percentage. They are fourth in the LSC with 0.35 double plays turned per game.
 
Who is Doing What?
  • Pitcher Maxine Valdez is 6-1 this season with a 2.06 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched (also has a save). She ranks 36th nationally in WHIP (.85), 48th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.3), 35th nationally averaging 9.5 strikeouts per seven innings and 45th in strikeouts (46). On Feb. 11, Valdez posted a complete game no-hitter against Chadron State, which was the third of her LCU career and led to LSC Pitcher of the Week honors. Valdez is 25-10 in her career.
  • Taylor Franco is 6-3 with a 0.67 ERA (33rd nationally) and ranks tied for ninth nationally with seven complete games. She is second nationally in shutouts (4), sixth in strikeouts (76), 13th in hits allowed per seven innings (3.00), 14th in WHIP (0.71). She claimed NFCA National Pitcher of the week honors this week (first of her career) after 22.0 scoreless innings pitched last week.
    • Franco ranks fourth actively in NCAA Div. II career shutouts (26), which is ninth actively at all NCAA levels.
    • Fourth actively in NCAA Div. II career innings pitched (575.0)
    • Fifth actively in NCAA Div. II career complete games (57)
    • Eighth actively in NCAA Div. II career saves (7)
    • 12th actively in NCAA Div. II career strikeouts (495)
    • 19th actively in NCAA Div. II career strikeouts-per-seven innings (6.0)
    • Ranks 23th actively in NCAA Div. II career marks in ERA (1.97)
  • New Mexico State transfer Hope Banales is hitting .420 (11th in the LSC) at the plate with a team-leading eight doubles, which is second in the LSC and seventh nationally.
  • Kasey Flores leads the team in hits (25, 25th nationally and third in the LSC) and leads the team in home runs (8, fourth nationally and leads the LSC), RBI (28, third nationally and leads the LSC), total bases (58, second nationally and leads the LSC), slugging (1.036, which is 12th nationally and OPS at 1.580). She ranks fourth in the LSC hitting .446 on the season. The LSC recognized Kasey as the LSC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 7. In 20 games, she has 10 multi-RBI games.
    • In her career, Flores has the fifth-best slugging mark in active-career NCAA Div.II statistics, with a career slugging of .823.
    • She has 48 career home runs, which actively ranks 13th among all NCAA levels.
  • LCU has a 41-13 advantage this season in stolen bases. Berkeley Quinn leads LCU with 13 stolen bases (fourtth in the LSC and 10th nationally) and Skylar Herrera has 11 thefts on the campaign (fifth in the LSC and 22nd nationally). LCU has 41 swipes and averages 2.1 in steals per game (third in LSC).
    • Herrera has 63 career stolen bases, which ranks 19th for active career leaders in NCAA Div. II
  • The Lady Chaps have 21 home runs this season (third in LSC) and nine different Lady Chaps have round-trippers this season.
  • Skyler Herrera ranks sixth in the LSC in runs per game (0.95… third in runs scored with 19), tied for 16th in hits (19.).
    • Actively ranks 24th in NCAA Div.II in career runs (128)
    • 29th in total bases (279)
    • 38th in RBI (111)
    • 46th in home runs (24)
 
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
  • This season is LCU's fourth season in the LSC.
  • LCU is 51-26 all-time in LSC play.
  • The Lady Chaps went 23-7 last season in conference.
  • LCU is 6-3 in conference play, sitting tied for third in the LSC standings.
    • LCU is hitting .301 in conference, with 11 home runs.
    • The pitching staff has a 2.33 ERA in LSC play, with 69 strikeouts in 57.0 innings and holding opponents to a .193 batting average.
    • Sydnee Bowlin is 7-for-13 (.538), leading LCU in hitting in conference play.
    • Kasey Flores leads LCU in home runs (4), hits (10) and RBI (13) in conference play.
    • Taylor Franco has a 1.00 ERA and is 3-2 with 41 strikeouts in 35.0 innings. She is averaging an allowance of 3.4 hits per seven innings in LSC play.
 
 Season Expectations
  • The Lady Chaps are preseason picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference.
  • LCU is in their ninth season playing a NCAA Division II schedule (2013 was their last season in NAIA) and this is their fourth season as members of the Lone Star Conference.
  • There are 15 softball programs in the LSC this season. The major difference from last season to this season is Texas A&M-Commerce made the move to NCAA Division I.
 
National Notes
  • Lubbock Christian is 0-4 this season against nationally ranked programs.
  • The Lady Chaps went 9-10 last season (2022) against nationally ranked programs.
  • LCU opened the season No.21 in the NFCA National Top-25 Coaches Preseason Poll. LCU is currently holding their best national ranking of the season at No.7. They have previously been ranked No.9 and No.8.

Coach Talk
  • LCU head coach Daren Hays is in his 13th season at the helm of the Lady Chaps.
  • Hays is LCU's winningest softball head coach, entering Friday with a softball record of 502-161.
  • Along with surpassing 500 coaching wins in softball, Hays had surpassed 300 wins as a collegiate baseball head coach. He spent eight seasons as the LCU baseball head coach and compiled a 356-163 record.
 
Streaking Along
  • Berkeley Quinn has the longest streak of the season at eight games.
  • Hope Banales is the active-leading streak in games reached-base-safely at seven games. Skylar Herrera has this season's highest mark, reaching base safely in 11 consecutive games this season.
  • Kasey Flores is leading the squad with nine multi-hit games.
  • Kasey Flores also leads the team with 10 multi-RBI games.
 
Road Review
  • LCU is 3-0 this season in road contests.
  • The Lady Chaps are hitting .354 (four home runs) in road tilts, and contributing a 0.78 ERA in the circle (opponents hitting .145).  
  • Skylar Herrera leads LCU with a .500 average in road games. She is tied with a trio of players with four hits.
  • LCU has four home runs on the road and hit by four different individuals.
  • Riley Lunsford and Kasey Flores co-lead LCU with five RBI each.
  • Taylor Franco and Ashlinn Hamilton are each 1-0 this season with a 0.00 ERA on the road. Franco has allowed two hits and has 11 strikeouts in 8.0 road innings. Maxine Valdez is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and has eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
 
In Summary
  • LCU has a 23-3 scoring advantage in the first inning and a 28-2 advantage in the fourth inning, with their highest offensive output coming in the second inning, with a 33-13 scoring advantage. LCU is 9-1 when leading after the first inning and 16-1 when scoring first.
  • The Lady Chaps are 15-1 when leading after four innings.
  • LCU is 11-2 this season when they hit at least one home run in a game.
  • The Lady Chaps are 11-0 when errorless. They are 14-2 when their opponents commit at least one error.

Looking at OC
  • The Lady Eagles went 39-15 last season, finishing tied for sixth in the LSC with a 22-8 conference mark. They are 11-4 this season and are third in the LSC with a 6-3 conference record. They are receiving votes in the NFCA Top-25 Poll.
  • OC is hitting .332 this season and have five home runs on the season. They have a staff ERA of 2.08 and opponents are hitting .196 against them. They have only allowed eight doubles this season.
  • They are 1-2 at home. They co-lead the LSC in the fewest amount of home games played.
  • OC is preseason picked to finish fifth in the LSC in the LSC Preseason Poll. They received one first-place vote.
  • Oklahoma Christian is 14th nationally and third in the LSC in sacrifice flies with seven on the season.
  • Two-sport star Brooklin Bain made her season debut at home on Feb. 22 against St. Edward's. The following day, she played softball, going 2-for-4, and then closed out the basketball season that night with 15 points against Arkansas Fort Smith. She is hitting .389 in six games this season.
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