Baseball | 02.07.2025

No. 12 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-4, 0-4 LSC) at
SUL ROSS STATE (1-3, 1-3 LSC)
Friday, Feb. 7 – 4 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8 – 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, Feb. 9  – 1 p.m.
Kokernot Field – Alpine, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
Lubbock Christian will head out on the road for the first time this season for a four-game series in Alpine, Texas against Sul Ross State. It will be the first official matchup between the Chaps and the Lobos since 2011, although the two squads did meet in an exhibition last year. Sul Ross is in their first year in the Lone Star Conference as they transition from Division III. They went 1-3 in their opening weekend against St. Mary's. The Chaps meanwhile struggled in their first series of the year, dropping all four games to UT Tyler at Hays Field. The Chaps hit .329 in the series, led by Nicklaus Baumbach's eight hits, but struggled on the mound.
 
TO START WITH
The four projected starting pitchers for Lubbock Christian for the week are Lex Garcia, Ryan Markwardt, Evan Roach and Cadon Everett. Garcia had the best performance of the weekend, giving a quality start with five innings pitched, three runs allowed and five strikeouts. The Patriots hit just .176 against him. In the rotation for Sul Ross State is Gage Cobb, Darren Acosta, Ryan Sandoval and Jacob Salinas. Cobb, a Lubbock native, allowed just one earned run in five innings of work but took the loss. Sandoval got a win limiting the Rattlers to two earned runs in five innings.
 
FRESH FACES
More than half (52.2 percent) of LCU's hits through the first four games of the season have come from players new to the roster in 2025. Baumbach led the newcomers with eight hits and a .444 average, while Kyle Lewis and Brock Tijerina both hit above .300 against the Patriots. Shortstop Kade York has the only home run by a newcomer so far this year and collected three other hits on the weekend, two of which were doubles. Adam Garcia had a pair of hits, and Eric Arreola and Ryan Blackwell had one apiece.
 
TRIPLE OR NOTHING
Lubbock Christian leads the Lone Star Conference in one offensive category after the first four games of the season – triples. The collected three of them in the series against UT Tyler, as Arreola, Shea Bowen and Brevin McCool tallied one each. The Chaps led the nation in triples during the 2024 season, collecting 41 as a team. Against the Patriots they also recorded three home runs and eight doubles for a team slugging percentage of .493.
 
MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU
LCU's most successful offensive inning so far this season has been the fourth, where they are hitting .429 with eight runs scored. They are actually hitting better in the ninth at .545, but with only four runs scored. Seven different Chaps have hits in the fourth, led by York's two. One of McCool's two home runs on the season came in the fourth and Arreola's triple was in the same frame. LCU is slugging .714 in the fourth inning, has only struck out four time and has hit into no double plays.
 
OTHER STATISTICAL MEASURES
Total Average is a baseball statistic created by Thomas Boswell, basically evaluating a player's entire offensive contribution by dividing the number of bases accumulated (hits, walks, hit-by-pitches and stolen bases) but his number of outs (including caught stealings and double plays hit into). York leads the team in Total Average through four games with a mark of .867. He was the only Chap with multiple walks, hit two doubles and a home run, went 1-1 in stolen base attempts and did not hit into a double play.
 
STREAKS AND MULTIS
Jacob Gutierrez ended the 2024 season having reached base in 38 straight games. With a hit on Opening Day, he extended that streak ton 39 games, but it ended the following day. York and Bowen now have the longest active streaks, with both players both reaching base and collecting hits in each of the first four games of the season. Bowen also leads the team in multi-hit games with three. McCool has the only three-hit game and Baumbach has the only four-hit game. McCool also leads the team in multi-RBI games with two.
 
ROAD JOURNAL
Lubbock Christian is headed out on the road for the first time this season after going 18-6 away from home in 2024. They will play this weekend at historic Kokernot Field, which was constructed in 1947. Called "The Best Little Ballpark in Texas (or Anywhere Else)," by Sports Illustrated, it is 330 down the lines and 415 to dead center. The field was not only home to the Lobos, but also to the semi-pro Alpine Cowboys (1947-58, 2011-Present), the NAIA World Series (1957-59) and many other exhibitions between professional baseball teams barnstorming their way back east. Hall of Famer Satchel Paige pitched there in 1951 while playing for the St. Louis Browns, and future major leaguers Gaylord Perry, Norm Cash and Don Newcombe have appeared at Kokernot.
 
2000 AND 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 3,400 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,281 wins and 1,119 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 802-371 record in that time.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE LOBOS
Although this will be their first official meeting in more than 10 years, Lubbock Christian and Sul Ross have faced off 92 times overall, dating back to the 1984 season, which is when the Lobos re-instated their baseball program. The Chaps lead the all-time series 75-17, including wins in the last 10 meetings. SRSU's last victory was 30 years ago, on March 11, 1995 in Alpine by a score to 6-5.
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS

• Sul Ross went 1-3 in their first weekend of play against St. Mary's, winning the third game of the series 6-2
• The Lobos are led by Caleb Abney, who is in his first year leading the team. Abney was previously the head coach at D-III Lancaster Bible College
• SRSU hit .230 as a team in the first four games of the season, led by outfielder Aaron Morales and his .385 batting average
• The Lobo pitching staff has an ERA of 8.89, allowing opponents to hit .313 against them
• Sul Ross went 10-29 overall last season, including 4-15 at the friendly confines