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23_SB_GameDay_51_52

Final Regular Season Series Opens Friday in Odessa

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

No.23 Lady Chaps Will Focus On Heading into Postseason Play With Momentum

ODESSA, Texas (April 28, 2023) – No.23 Lubbock Christian University opens their final regular season Lone Star Conference series Friday at UT Permian Basin with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Falcon Field. 
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL
OPPONENT LOCATION DAY TIME (CT) WATCH STATS
UTPB Odessa, Texas Fri., Apr. 28 2 p.m. Video Stats
UTPB Odessa, Texas Fri., Apr. 28 4 p.m. Video Stats
UTPB Odessa, Texas Sat., Apr. 29 12 p.m. Video Stats
WEATHER
  
 LCU and UTPB Series Snapshot
  • LCU leads the all-time series over UTPB, 30-0.
  • Last season, LCU went 2-0 against the Falcons, with a 12-3 win (5 inn.) and 12-0 win (5 inn.) on Mar. 20, 2022 in Odessa, where LCU is 12-0 all-time.
  • Tiarra Delrosario is 5-for-7 in two career games with five RBI against the Falcons.
  • Kamryn Gibbs is hitting .500 (4-for-8) in four career games and has four RBI against UTPB.
  • Kasey Flores (3-for-7 in two games with a homer) and Skylar Herrera co-lead all active Lady Chaps against UTPB, as each has six RBI against UTPB. Herrera is 5-for-12 in five career games against her hometown team.
  • Taylor Franco is 4-0 all-time against UTPB with a 0.00 ERA. She has not allowed a run off four hits in 16.2 innings against UTPB (13 strikeouts). She completed a no hitter last season in LCU's 12-0 win. Maxine Valdez is 1-0 against UTPB and had a 5.0-inning no-hitter against UTPB in 2021.
 
How is the Team Doing?
  • LCU is 36-14 this season and are coming off a home series against No.12 West Texas A&M in which they were swept (placed their LSC record to 26-13). The Lady Chaps are on their first four game losing streak since April 6-11, 2019.
  • This season's 36-14 record includes a 13-game, 10-game and six-game win streak.
  • The Lady Chaps are hitting .322 as a team (second in the conference and 44th nationally), with 54 home runs (17th nationally) in 50 games. LCU averages 6.0 runs a contest (third in LSC and 45th  nationally).
  • In the circle, LCU has an ERA of 2.27 (30th nationally and third in the LSC). Opponents are hitting .186 against LCU this season (leads the LSC). The staff has a WHIP of 1.01 (leads LSC and seventh nationally) and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.94 (third in the LSC and 40th nationally). LCU has five no-hitters this season for a second consecutive season.
  • LCU ranks 10th in the nation in doubles (88) and is 20th in doubles per game (1.8).
  • Defensively, LCU ranks 47th nationally with a 96.8% fielding percentage. They are fourth in the LSC with 0.32 double plays turned per game.
 
Who is Doing What?
  • Pitcher Maxine Valdez is 15-4 this season with a 2.53 ERA in 102.1 innings pitched (also has two saves). She ranks 16th nationally averaging 8.8 strikeouts per seven innings, 21st in hits allowed per seven innings (4.45, third in the LSC),  22nd nationally in WHIP (0.92, second LSC) and 61st in strikeouts (129, fifth in the LSC). On Feb. 11, Valdez posted a complete game no-hitter against Chadron State. She completed her second no-hitter of the season Mar.17 in a win over St. Mary's and third on April 12 (against Cameron), which was her fifth of her career. Valdez also claimed NFCA National Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 14 and is the LSC's first three-time Pitcher of the Week recipient this season. She is 34-13 in her career.
  • Taylor Franco is 14-8 with a 1.60 ERA (fourth in the conference) and ranks tied for 11th nationally with 19 complete games (co-leads LSC). She is tied for 24th nationally in shutouts (6, which is tied with Valdez), 21st in hits allowed per seven innings (4.45), 32nd in WHIP (0.96) and 26th in strikeouts (160). She claimed NFCA National Pitcher of the Week honors on Mar. 1 (first of her career). On Mar. 5, she became the second Lady Chaps pitcher in program history to surpass 500 career strikeouts. She blanked Eastern New Mexico on Mar. 8 to become the 14th NCAA Division II player to reach seven career no-hitters. She is on the Tucci/NFCA Player/Pitcher of the Year Watchlist.
    • Franco ranks third actively in NCAA Div. II career shutouts (28), which is 10th actively at all NCAA levels
    • Third actively in NCAA Div. II career innings pitched (682.3), which is 14th actively at all NCAA levels
    • Fourth actively in NCAA Div. II career complete games (69), which is 12th actively at all NCAA levels
    • 10th actively in NCAA Div. II career saves (8)
    • 13th actively in NCAA Div. II career strikeouts (579)
    • 33rd actively in NCAA Div. II career strikeouts-per-seven innings (5.94)
    • Ranks 32nd actively in NCAA Div. II career marks in ERA (2.00)
  • New Mexico State transfer Hope Banales is hitting .378 (13th in the LSC) at the plate with a team-leading 17 doubles, which leads the LSC and is 15th nationally. Banales, who has one LSC Hitter of the Week honor under her belt, has 54 hits to rank 10th in the LSC.
  • Kasey Flores leads the team in home runs (18, tied for sixth nationally and co-leads the LSC), RBI (58, ninth nationally and leads the LSC), total bases (122, 12th nationally and third in the LSC), slugging (0.878, which is ninth nationally) and OPS at 1.384. The LSC recognized Kasey as the LSC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 7 and the NFCA named her National Player of the Week on Mar. 28. In 50 games, she has 20 multi-RBI games. Flores' power has resulted in the opposition walking her (intentionally) and she ranks 17th national in walks per game (0.72, fourth in the LSC). She is on the Tucci/NFCA Player/Pitcher of the Year Watchlist.
    • In her LCU career, Flores has the eighth-best slugging mark in active-career NCAA Div.II statistics, with a career slugging of .808.
    • She has 58 career home runs, which actively ranks tied for 13th among all NCAA levels.
  • LCU has a 75-50 advantage this season in stolen bases. Berkeley Quinn leads LCU with 22 stolen bases (fifth in the LSC) and Skylar Herrera has 20 (eighth in the LSC) to place a pair of Lady Chaps in the top-10 in the conference in thefts. LCU has 75 swipes and averages 1.5 in steals per game (sixth in LSC).
    • Herrera has 72 career stolen bases, which ranks 25th for active career leaders in NCAA Div. II
  • The Lady Chaps have 54 home runs this season (third in LSC) and 10 different Lady Chaps have round-trippers this season.
  • Skyler Herrera ranks tied for 17th in the LSC in runs scored with 35.
    • Actively ranks 33rd in NCAA Div.II in career runs (144)
    • 32nd in total bases (334)
    • 34th in home runs (31)
    • 37th in RBI (138)
 
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
  • This season is LCU's fourth season in the LSC.
  • LCU is 71-36 all-time in LSC play.
  • The Lady Chaps went 23-7 last season in conference.
  • LCU is 26-13 in conference play, sitting in a share of third place in the LSC standings.
    • The 26 conference wins marks the most in a single season since moving to NCAA and the most since a 29-win 2010 season.
    • LCU is hitting .296 in conference, with 44 home runs (allowed 16).
    • The pitching staff has a 2.59 ERA in LSC play, with 252 strikeouts in 259.0 innings and holding opponents to a .197 batting average.
    • Hope Banales leads LCU in conference hitting .350.
    • Kasey Flores leads LCU in home runs (14) and RBI (43) in conference play.
    • Taylor Franco has a 1.87 ERA and is 11-7 with 125 strikeouts in 142.1 innings. She is averaging an allowance of 4.9 hits per seven innings in LSC play.
    • Maxine Valdez is 11-4 in conference games and is holding the opposition to a .197 batting average. She has 105 strikeouts in 83.1 innings (8.8 per seven innings).
 
 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 0-7 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 ranked No.23 after spending the prior week at No.16. They had been ranked ranging No.11 - No.7 most of this season until dropping to No.16 last week.

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 this week with a softball record of 522-171.
  • 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  
Road Review
  • LCU is 12-6 this season in road contests.
  • The Lady Chaps are hitting .290 (21 home runs) in road tilts, and contributing a 2.47 ERA in the circle (opponents hitting .192).
  • Tiarra Delrosario leads LCU with a .359 average in road games. Tiarra Delrosario Delrosario has 23 hits on the road, with Hope Banales (21) joining her with at least 20 road hits.
  • LCU has 18 home runs on the road and hit by nine different individuals.
  • Kasey Flores and Skylar Herrera each have five home runs on the road (co-leads the team), with Herrera leading the team in road RBI (16) and Flores sitting right behind her (15).
  • Maxine Valdez is 5-1 with a save and has 54 strikeouts (11 walks) in 42.0 innings in road play (9.0 per seven innings). Opponents are hitting .201 against her.
 
 In Summary
  • LCU has a 50-28 scoring advantage in the first inning and a 54-13 advantage in the fourth inning, with their highest offensive output coming in the second inning, with a 59-27 scoring advantage. LCU is 16-3 when leading after the first inning and 30-3 when scoring first.
  • The Lady Chaps are 30-2 when leading after four innings.
  • LCU is 27-6 this season when they hit at least one home run in a game.
  • The Lady Chaps are 18-2 when errorless. They are 27-7 when their opponents commit at least one error.

Looking at UTPB
  • The Falcons went 21-30 last season, finishing 13th the LSC with a 8-22 conference mark. This season, UTPB is 8-39 and they are sitting in 15th place (last) of the LSC standings with a 5-34 mark.
  • UTPB is hitting .237 this season and have 28 home runs on the season. They have a staff ERA of 9.15 and opponents are hitting .356 against them.
  • UT Permian Basin is 2-16 at home this season. They have lost their last two home games.
  • The Falcons are coached by Samantha Mendez who is in her first season at the helm of the Falcons after serving as an assistant coach at NAIA Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan.
  • Emily Andress co-leads the LSC in triples with five. She is also in the top-20 in the LSC in stolen bases with 13.
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