TYLER, Texas (February 22, 2025) – A top-25 showdown is set for Saturday at the UT Tyler Softball Complex, where No. 23 Lubbock Christian University will face undefeated No. 1 UT Tyler in a Lone Star Conference doubleheader. The Lady Chaps will play their first true road games of the season, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
| LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL |
| OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
VIDEO |
RADIO |
STATS |
| UT Tyler |
Tyler, Texas |
Sat., Feb. 22 |
1 p.m. |
Watch |
None |
Stats |
| UT Tyler |
Tyler, Texas |
Sat., Feb. 22 |
3 p.m. |
Watch |
None |
Stats |
| Weather |
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LCU and UT Tyler Series Snapshot
- UT Tyler holds an 11-3 advantage in the all-time series against Lubbock Christian, with their first meeting taking place on March 28, 2021.
- The Patriots have dominated recent matchups, winning the last nine meetings, including an 8-5 victory in their most recent contest on May 3, 2024 in Canyon, Texas (LSC Championships), which completed a season sweep (4-0) against LCU. UT Tyler erupted for seven runs in the second inning of that game.
- LCU's last win over UT Tyler came on May 13, 2022, when they secured a 5-1 victory in Tyler, Texas in the South Central Regional.
- The two teams faced each other five times during the 2022 season, with UTT winning three of the meetings. Three of the contests were at the NCAA South Central Regional in Tyler, Texas, where LCU won the first meeting (5-1 on May 13, 2022), but UTT rebounding to defeat LCU 3-1 and 9-2 (May 14, 2022) in the bracket championship (ended LCU's season).
- The Lady Chaps' largest margin of victory was an 8-2 win on March 28, 2021, while their closest win was a 3-0 shutout on March 27, 2022.
- Lubbock Christian has struggled on the road in the series, holding a 2-6 record in Tyler (8 of the 14 meetings have been in Tyler). They are 1-4 at home and 2-8 in conference matchups against UT Tyler.
- In the last 10 meetings, LCU is 1-9 against the Patriots, with their lone victory coming in 2022.
- The Lady Chaps have averaged 3.14 runs per game in the series, totaling 44 runs across 14 matchups.
- Baylea Myers is 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBI in three career games against UTT.
- Teoni Lamb is 0-1 in her career against UTT, but in 5.2 innings, she has only allowed two earned runs off four hits and has struck out four batters.
Season Tidbits
- Lubbock Christian University is off to a strong start this season, boasting a 12-2 overall record and 3-1 mark in Lone Star Conference play. The Lady Chaps have been dominant at home, going 8-1, while also securing four neutral-site wins. Their high-powered offense has outscored opponents 118-52, helping them climb to a share of fourth place in the LSC standings.
- Lubbock Christian continues to showcase a potent offense, ranking 19th nationally and third in the Lone Star Conference with a .368 team batting average. The Lady Chaps have outscored opponents 123-48 through their first 14 games.
- Baylea Myers remains a key offensive force, batting .467 (16th in the LSC) with 21 hits (9th in the LSC), 15 RBIs, and a .733 slugging percentage. She is also tied for third nationally with 12 sacrifice flies (tied for third in the LSC).
- Kawehi Ili has been equally impactful, ranking 17th in the conference with 17 hits and 14 RBIs. She remains perfect in stolen base attempts at 6-for-6.
- The Lady Chaps' power has been on display, ranking 12th nationally and sixth in the conference with 11 home runs. Kendra Levesque and Baylea Myers have each hit three homers, ranking 11th in the LSC (each are tied for 35th nationally).
- LCU's ability to get on base has been a strength, ranking 16th nationally and third in the conference with a .450 on-base percentage.
- The team has also excelled at capitalizing on scoring opportunities, ranking second in the nation and conference with 112 RBIs. They also rank 10th nationally in RBIs per game (8.00).
- The Lady Chaps' aggressive baserunning has been a factor, stealing 26 bases in 30 attempts, ranking fourth in the LSC. Kadin Vire (6-for-6) and Ili (6-for-6) continue to lead the way.
- Pitching remains strong with a team ERA of 2.96, ranking fifth in the conference. Kendall Ward has been a key contributor with a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA in 14.1 innings, and a save (third in the LSC).
- Emily Dix leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 29 in 22.2 innings, averaging 9.0 strikeouts per seven innings (second in conference and 27th nationally). She also ranks fifth in the conference in shutouts (1) and 25th nationally.
- The Lady Chaps' defense has been solid, ranking third in the conference and 53rd nationally with a .969 fielding percentage.
- LCU leads the nation in sacrifice flies with 12, showing their efficiency in situational hitting. Nine different Lady Chaps have at least one sac fly, with a trio with two.
- The Lady Chaps continue to be one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, ranking second in total runs (123) and 12th in scoring average (8.79 runs per game).
- Their ability to draw walks has been crucial, ranking seventh nationally and second in the LSC with 54 walks on the season.
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
- This season is LCU's sixth season in the LSC.
- LCU is 102-55 all-time in LSC play.
- The Lady Chaps went 24-18 last season in conference (sixth place in the standings).
- Snapshot of last season in the LSC for LCU.
- LCU is hit .308 in conference, with 40 home runs (allowed 28).
- The pitching staff had a 2.81 ERA in LSC play, with 211 strikeouts in 269.1 innings and held opponents to a .246 batting average.
- This season, LCU is 3-1 in LSC play.
- Piper Garcia has been dominant at the plate, batting .667 with a 2.000 OPS, recording six hits in nine at-bats, including two home runs and six RBIs.
- LCU's offense has been explosive, posting a .628 team slugging percentage, out-hitting opponents in home runs (7-5) and total bases (59-55).
- Kendra Levesque has been a key power source, hitting three home runs while maintaining a 1.682 OPS and driving in seven runs.
- Teoni Lamb has anchored the pitching staff, going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA over 9.1 innings, striking out nine while holding opponents to a .256 batting average.
- LCU has outscored its conference opponents 31-19, backed by a .442 team on-base percentage and an aggressive offensive approach.
Streaking Along
- Baylea Myers had a nine-game hit streak, which remains the longest by a Lady Chap this season. Piper Garcia now holds the longest active hitting streak at four games.
- Yaya Kaaialii has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Lady Chap this season, followed by Kendra Levesque at 11 games.
- Baylea Myers leads LCU with seven multi-hit games, followed closely by Kawehi Ili with six.
- Myers and Bailey Hughes are tied for the team lead in multi-RBI games, each recording four.
Coach Talk
- LCU head coach Daren Hays is in his 15th season at the helm of the Lady Chaps.
- Hays is LCU's winningest softball head coach, entering Sunday with a softball record of 564-198.
- Along with surpassing 550 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. Combine the two sports and Hays has coached in 1,233 total games at LCU.
Looking at UTT
- The No.1 Patriots are the defending NCAA Division II champions after a 58-8 season last year. They closed last season on a 10-game win streak and have opened this season with 13 straight wins to combine for a 23-game win streak. They are 4-0 in LSC play after sweeping UT Permian Basin and Sul Ross State.
- The Patriots boast a dominant all-time record of 363-45 (.889) at Irwin Field and have never lost more than six home games in a season. They are 102-8 (.927) in home Lone Star Conference games.
- UT Tyler leads Division II in shutouts (6) and ranks top five nationally in triples, doubles, ERA, and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Primrose Aholelei (3 shutouts) and Cera Blanchard (2 shutouts) anchor a dominant pitching staff.
- At the plate, JT Smith currently leads the nation in triples, Jordyn De Los Santos ranks sixth in doubles, and Bailey Krolczyk stands fourth in RBI.
- JT Smith, the LSC Preseason Player of the Year, ranks second in the nation with 23 runs scored this season.
