LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (13-9, 12-8 LSC) at
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (10-16, 9-15 LSC)
Friday, March 14 – 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 – Noon (DH)
Sunday, March 16 – 1 p.m.
Jorge Haynes Field – Laredo, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
Coming off a huge series win against No. 2 Angelo State, the Chaps will head back out on the road this weekend for four games on the border against Texas A&M International. All three LCU wins came in walkoff fashion as the Chaps out-hit the Rams .387 to .382 and out-slugged them .730 to .654 in a series filled with high-scoring contests. LCU got huge series from Shea Bowen and Brock Tijerina, along with a record-breaking performance from Brevin McCool, who is the team's leading hitter with a .466 average and 1.182 slugging percentage. The Dustdevils enter the weekend having lost their last series, dropping three of four at St. Mary's and allowing at least nine runs in every game.
 
AWARD CENTRAL
For his performance in the four games against Angelo State, McCool was named both the Lone Star Conference and the NCBWA South Central Region Hitter of the Week. It is the second time this season for him to win both awards. Playing against the No. 2 team in the nation, McCool hit .421, with five of his eight hits leaving the yard. He hit four home runs in one game, setting a new LSC record and tying the LCU program record. He is the first player in Division II to homer four times in one game this season. He drove in seven runs against the Rams and scored six, collecting 23 total bases and slugging 1.211 on the weekend.
 
MORE MCCOOL MADNESS
After earning Second Team All-American status in 2024, McCool has had a scorching start to the 2025 season. He leads the nation in home runs – at any level. He also leads D-II in slugging at 1.182 and total bases with 104, ranks second in RBI at 41, fifth in hits at 41 and sixth in runs with 37. He is reaching base at a .556 clip. Playing in his fourth and final collegiate season, the New Mexico native has 47 career home runs, which is the most among active D-II players. His next home run will tie him for 10^th in LCU history (with Tommy Inman) in career home runs. The LCU career record is 63, by John Harris (1974-76).
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
McCool is far from the only Chaparral hitter who has started the season strong. As a team, LCU ranks third in the nation in home runs (38), fourth in scoring (10.8), fourth in hits (269), fourth in walks (142), seventh in doubles (54) and ninth in batting average (.351). Shea Bowen and Brock Tijerina both had big weekends against Angelo State, batting .500 each. Bowen added in three doubles and three home runs for a 1.167 slugging percentage and Tijerina drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh of both doubleheader wins while scoring the tying run in the ninth of game four. Both players are hitting above .350 for the season, along with Jacob Gutierrez (.430), Nicklaus Baumbach (.383) and Ryan Blackwell (.350).  
 
TABLE-SETTERS
One of the reasons the LCU offense has been so dangerous has been their ability to put the leadoff batter on base. The Chaps are reaching at a .457 clip this season in leadoff opportunities, compared to .403 by their opponents. Bowen, who was moved to the top of the lineup for the first time this season against the Rams, is reaching base at a .565 clip in leadoff opportunities. Kade York and Kyle Lewis have each hit in the one-hole six times this season to lead the team reaching base at a .391 and .350 clip, respectively. Blackwell has a .600 OBP when leading off, but in only 10 opportunities.
 
TO START WITH
Lubbock Christian is projected to use a starting rotation of Lex Garcia, Ryan Markwardt, Evan Roach and Jake Llaneza this weekend at Texas A&M International. Markwardt and Roach are the only two who have made starts every single weekend this season, although Garcia has been used as a starter four times. Opposing teams are batting .313 this season against LCU starters with 78 strikeouts in 79.1 innings of work. Markwardt has been the best so far, posting a 4.80 ERA and .232 opponent's batting average. Roach set a new career-high last week with 6.0 innings pitched on 138 pitches. TAMIU is projected to use Lalo Salinas, Austin Brewer, Mario Garcia and Jose Duran as starters.
 
IN A PINCH
In the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against Angelo State, Lubbock Christian entered the bottom of the seventh (and final) inning down by two runs. The Chaps scored a run and had the bases loaded with one out when head coach Nathan Blackwood called on Brock Tijerina to pinch hit. The Chap outfielder came through, driving in two runs with a single to left field. The Chaps are 5-for-13 this season in pinch-hit situations for a .384 batting average. They have also drawn three walks. No one player has more than one pinch-hit so far this season, and Carson Shields has the only extra base hit – a double against Sul Ross State.
 
OTHER STATISTICAL METRICS
Since McCool leads the nation in it and the Chaps rank fifth nationally as a team, now is as good a time as ever to talk about slugging percentage. At its simplest definition, SLG represents the total number of bases a player records per at-bat. The formula is: (1B + 2Bx2 + 3Bx3 + HRx4)/AB. Although a double is not worth exactly twice as much as a single in the context of scoring runs, slugging percentage is still one of the best evaluators of power, because it accounts for more than just home runs. After McCool, Bowen is next on the team with a .675 SLG thanks to his seven doubles, one triple and five home runs. Five other Chap regulars are slugging .500 or better.
 
STREAKS AND MULTIS
The longest active streak on the team belongs to Johnny Gomez III, who has reached base in 17 straight games. The streak started on the second day of the season, when he had two hits off the bench against UT Tyler. Bowen and Tijerina are tied for the lead with the longest hitting streak at six apiece. Gutierrez had his second four-hit game of the season against ASU, bringing his season total of multi-hit games to 14, which leads the team. McCool also added to his team lead in multi-RBI games, getting his 10^th of the season when he drove in five against ASU.
 
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 3,418 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,294 wins and 1,124 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 807-374 record in that time.
 
BIG LEAGUE CONNECTION
MLB spring training got underway earlier this month, with a couple of former Chaps on staff to help out the professional players. Buck Britton, who played shortstop for LCU 2007-08, earned a promotion in the offseason and is now a major league coach on the Baltimore Orioles staff. He has previously been the manager of the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides. Wigberto Nevarez, who is a former catcher for the Chaps, is entering his eighth season of coaching and his fifth with the Gwinnet Stripers, which is the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. He spent the winter coaching for Santurce of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE DUSTDEVILS
Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M International have met 45 times in program history in a series dating back to 2014. LCU leads the series 34-11, but is only 14-9 against the Dustdevils in Laredo. The last time they were at Jorge Haynes Field, they split a four-game series. The most recent game between the two teams was a wild affair, with Lubbock Christian erasing a five-run deficit to win 18-17 on a walkoff single by McCool.
 
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS

• TAMIU ranks No. 9 in the nation in double plays turned this season with 20
• Dustdevil head coach Ruben Rodriguez is in his first season at the helm of the program, but served as the assistant coach the previous three seasons
• Texas A&M International leads the LSC and ranks No. 16 in the nation in hit batters with 45
• Joseph Rodriguez is the team's top hitter with a .354 batting average and a .610 slugging percentage
• TAMIU has dropped 16 sacrifice bunts already this season, which is the second-most in the league