LUBBOCK, Texas - For the first time this season, the LCU baseball team faces a ranked opponent, hosting the no. 3/3 Angelo State Rams this weekend at Hays Field.

No. 3/3 Angelo State (26-4, 24-4 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (16-9, 15-9 LSC)
Friday, Mar. 24 - 6:00 PM
Saturday, Mar. 25 - 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Sunday, Mar. 26 - 1:00 PM
Lubbock, Texas - Hays Field

LEADING OFF 
Lubbock Christian is coming off a 15-6 win over University of the Southwest on Monday, Mar. 20. The Chaps scored seven runs in the bottom of the second to pull away after going down 1-0 early. Brevin McCool led the way for the LCU offense, batting 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, including a two-run home run. This weekend's series between the Rams and the Chaparrals will be a matchup between two of the three highest scoring offenses in the Lone Star Conference. Angelo State leads the conference with 313 runs scored, while LCU has scored 242 runs this season. This will be the first ranked opponent LCU has faced this season, as UT Tyler was receiving votes in one of the national polls. Lubbock Christian's last matchup against a ranked opponent was in a series against West Texas A&M Apr. 1-3, 2022, splitting the series with the Buffs. The two teams met in a ranked matchup in San Angelo last season, with the Chaps taking the first two games before dropping games three and four. 

THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• Lubbock Christian is third in the conference with 242 runs scored, the seventh-most in D-II. The Chaps are averaging 9.7 runs per game, the 16th best scoring clip in Division-II.
• The Chap infield defense has been fantastic this season, as the group's 24 double plays are third in the country and lead the LSC. LCU has turned 0.96 double plays a game, the seventh-highest average in D-II. Caden Hensley has helped turn 10 of those
• Van Maanen is second in the conference with 43 RBI. His teammate Chris Shull ranks sixth in the LSC with 36 RBI.
• Carson Ogilive ranks second in the LSC with 41 runs scored, while Eduardo Acosta is fifth in the LSC with 37 runs.

ACOASTING
Eduardo Acosta has been raking at the dish this season as he is fifth in the conference with 38 runs, and is seventh in the LSC in batting average (.427). His 41 total hits are the seventh-most in the LSC this season.

THAT'S OFFENSIVE
LCU has scored at will this season, as the Chaparrals 242 total runs are the third-most in the Lone Star Conference. The Chaps' 281 hits are tied with Texas A&M-Kingsville for fourth in the country. Lubbock Christian is third in the conference with 11 triples, as Ogilvie is tied for the conference lead with three. The team's 64 doubles leads the LSC, with Ogilvie leading the conference with 13 doubles so far this season. 

TWENTY-ONE, CAN YA DO SOMETHING FOR ME?
Nate Van Maanen is second in the conference with 43 RBI this season. On March 5 vs OC, he finished 5-for-5 with 10 RBI, three home runs, and five runs scored. He ties the school record for RBI in a single game set by Britt Harper on Feb. 9, 2000, a 23-4 win for the Chaps over Eastern New Mexico. He is also the first Chaparral to hit three home runs in a game since Larry Leitha did so on May 8, 2021, oddly enough also against Oklahoma Christian. On defense, Van Maanen has been a stalwart at first base, with a .988 fielding percentage and has turned 16 double plays

AL(GER) NIGHT LONG
Aydan Alger has pitched two complete games this season, both seven-inning outings. His first was on Feb. 23, going all seven innings at Arkansas-Fort Smith, allowing just two hits and striking out nine on just 80 pitches in a 3-0 victory for the Chaps. On Mar. 10, Alger shut down St. Mary's, allowing just two hits, walking three and striking out six in Lubbock Christian's 12-0 run-rule victory over the Rattlers. Alger's 3.93 ERA lead's the team and is eighth in the Lone Star Conference.

PITCHER'S BEST FRIEND
Pitchers on the LCU staff 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 24 double plays so far this season, the second-most in the LSC.

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. 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 saw his 35-game reached base streak end on Mar. 11, going 0-for-3 against St. Mary's. That mark was the third-longest in recorded history of the Chaps, behind Joel Lutz who reached in 40 straight games during the 2013 season. Shull and Van Maanen lead the team, having both reached base in all 25 games this season. Van Maanen currently has the longest hitting streak on the team, having recorded a hit in ten straight games. 

FRIENDLY CONFINES
Lubbock Christian will play a 26-game home schedule this 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 currently 9-4 on their home turf, and the program is 1,146-349 in home games all-time. LCU won 20 home games last season for the first time since 2018 after having back-to-back losing seasons at Hays Field.

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 3,313 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,217 wins and 1,096 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 738-337 record in that time. 

SCOUTING THE RAMS
- Angelo State enters the contest 26-4 overall and 24-4 in the Lone Star Conference, while also being ranked no. 3 in both national polls.
- ASU leads the conference in runs scored, having scored 313 runs this season. Jacob Guerrero leads the conference in batting average, hitting .506 so far this season. His .783 slugging percentage is third-best in the conference, while his .598 on-base percentage also leads the Lone Star.
- Austin Beck leads the conference in runs scored, having crossed home plate 42 times this season. Jordan Williams and Guerrero both rank in the top-five in runs scored in the conference, with Williams scoring 39 runs and Guerrero crossing the dish 37 times.
- Defensively, the Rams have been solid, as their 3.38 ERA and 308 total strikeouts lead the conference. Kade Bragg leads the conference with an astounding 0.43 ERA in 41.2 IP, as his 56 strikeouts are second in the conference, as opponents are hitting just .141 against Bragg this season. Aaron Munson is third in the conference with 54 strikeouts.
- Kevin Brooks has guided the Angelo State baseball program to four NCAA Division II College World Series appearances with four South Central Championships and has compiled an impressive 633-308 overall record since starting the ASU program in 2005.
The only coach in ASU baseball history, he has a 341-170 Lone Star Conference record and a 27-18 record in nine trips to the NCAA postseason.

THE SERIES WITH THE RAMS
ASU leads the series 26-16, as the two teams split last year in San Angelo. LCU defeated the Rams 12-6 on Mar. 7, 2021, ending a seven-game winning streak for Angelo State at Hays Field. 

UP NEXT
The Chaps will return to the road, traveling to Laredo, Texas for a four-game set with Texas A&M International. First pitch for game one is set for 2:00 PM on Friday, Mar. 31.