LUBBOCK, Texas (March 2, 2025) – No. 22 Lubbock Christian University wraps up its four-game Lone Star Conference homestand Sunday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Maner Park. Both teams enter the matchup in a tight race for early-season positioning, part of a five-way tie for fourth place in the LSC standings.
| LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL |
| OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
VIDEO |
RADIO |
STATS |
| Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Maner Park |
Sun., Mar. 2 |
1 p.m. |
Watch |
None |
Stats |
| Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Maner Park |
Sun., Mar. 2 |
3 p.m. |
Watch |
None |
Stats |
| Weather |
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LCU and TAMUK Series Snapshot
- Lubbock Christian holds a 9-6 all-time series lead over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- The Lady Chaps have won five of the last 10 matchups, including the most recent meeting (10-3 on March 3, 2024 in Lubbock).
- LCU is currently on a two-game win streak against TAMUK.
- The Lady Chaps' largest margin of victory in the series was a 10-0 win on March 11, 2023 in Kingsville.
- LCU has a 5-5 conference record against TAMUK since joining the Lone Star Conference.
- TAMUK has the all-time series edge in Lubbock (3-2). After Sunday, the two teams will have played five straight games in the series in Lubbock. Prior to the stretch, the two programs had five consecutive meetings in Kingsville.
- LCU's longest win streak in the series was four games (March 18, 2016 - Feb. 9, 2018), while TAMUK's longest was three games (April 16, 2021 - April 8, 2022).
- LCU has combined for 88 total runs in series history, with LCU averaging 5.87 runs per game.
- In six career games against TAMUK, Riley Flores has five RBI and is 5-for-17 (.294) against the Javelinas.
- Teoni Lamb is 1-0 in her career against TAMUK with two earned runs allowed in 7.00 innings of work.
- Baylea Myers has one home run in the all-time series. She is the only returning Lady Chap with a home run against TAMUK.
Season Tidbits
- Lubbock Christian University softball has had a strong season, holding a 15-5 overall record (.750) and 6-4 in conference play (.600), tying for fourth in the LSC standings. The Lady Chaps have dominated at home, going 10-1, while struggling slightly on the road (1-3). They've won three straight games, bouncing back from losses to UT Tyler and Texas Woman's. Key victories include sweeps over Cameron and Texas A&M International.
- Lubbock Christian continues to showcase a solid offense, ranking 31st nationally and third in the Lone Star Conference with a .345 team batting average. The Lady Chaps have outscored opponents 154-71 through their first 20 games.
- Baylea Myers remains a key offensive force, batting .475 (ninth in the LSC) with 28 hits (ninth in the LSC), 18 RBIs, and an .763 slugging percentage (14th in LSC). She has also contributed four home runs (tied for eighth in the LSC) and holds a .521 on-base percentage (14th in LSC).
- Kawehi Ili has been equally impactful, ranking 29th in the conference with 21 hits while driving in 17 RBIs. She remains perfect in stolen base attempts at 8-for-8.
- The Lady Chaps' power has been on display, ranking 30th nationally and sixth in the conference with 18 home runs. Kendra Levesque leads the team with four home runs (tied for eighth in LSC), while Myers has also contributed four. Nine different Lady Chaps have hit at least one home run.
- The team has excelled at capitalizing on scoring opportunities, ranking fifth nationally and second in the conference with 141 RBIs. They also rank 14th nationally in RBIs per game (7.1).
- The Lady Chaps' aggressive baserunning has been a factor, stealing 30 bases in 31 attempts, ranking fourth in the LSC. Kadin Vire (7-for-7) and Ili (8-for-8) continue to lead the way.
- Pitching remains solid with a team ERA of 3.25, ranking fifth in the conference. Kendall Ward has been a key contributor with a 3-0 record, a 1.56 ERA in 18 innings, and two saves (third in the LSC).
- Emily Dix leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 41 in 34.1 innings, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per seven innings (third in conference and 27th nationally). She also ranks fourth in the conference in shutouts (1) and 29th nationally.
- The Lady Chaps' defense has been solid, ranking third in the conference and 65th nationally with a .969 fielding percentage.
- LCU ranks third nationally in sacrifice flies with 14, showing their efficiency in situational hitting. Nine different Lady Chaps have at least one sac fly, with Baylea Myers leading the team with three (co-leads the LSC).
- The Lady Chaps continue to be one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, ranking 17th in total runs (154) and 17th in scoring average (7.7 runs per game).
- LCU ranks 16th nationally and fifth in the LSC with 37 doubles, averaging 1.9 per game.
- The team has turned five double plays, ranking 39th nationally and eighth in the LSC.
- Their ability to draw walks has been crucial, ranking seventh nationally and second in the LSC with 69 walks on the season (fourth in LSC).
Deeper Dive
- LCU has maintained its strong starts, outscoring opponents 30-7 in the first inning and 31-7 in the third. Their record when scoring first remains formidable at 11-2, reinforcing the importance of early momentum.
- Kawehi Ili remains a key performer with runners in scoring position, batting .625 (10-for-16) and an impressive 7-for-7 when driving in a runner from third with less than two outs. She also excels in advancing runners, succeeding 80% of the time (20 of 25 opportunities).
- Baylea Myers continues to be a driving force, hitting .450 (9-for-20) with runners in scoring position and advancing runners at a strong 65.0% clip (26 of 40 opportunities).
- LCU is nearly unbeatable when leading after four innings, holding a 12-1 record, and remains perfect at 7-0 when leading after six innings. They also have two wins this season when trailing after six innings.
- The team thrives in high-scoring games, boasting an 8-0 record when scoring 10+ runs and 10-1 in games decided by five or more runs. However, they remain winless at 0-3 when scoring two or fewer runs, emphasizing the need for offensive production.
- Kadin Vire leads LCU with three hits when the bases are loaded (3-for-5).
- LCU has out-hit opponents in 11 games and won all 11. When out-hit by opponents, they are just 1-5.
- Defensively, the team performs best when minimizing mistakes. They hold a 6-1 record when making zero errors but are just 1-2 when committing two or more errors.
- The team has shown a tendency to pull away late, scoring 24 runs in the sixth inning, one of their highest-scoring frames of the season.
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
- This season is LCU's sixth season in the LSC.
- LCU is 103-58 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 6-4 in LSC play.
- LCU's offense continues to dominate in conference play, posting a .552 slugging percentage and 14 home runs across 10 games. Kendra Levesque leads the power surge with four home runs and a .900 slugging percentage.
- The team maintains a strong .306 batting average, with multiple key contributors: Baylea Myers (.462 AVG, .808 SLG), Levesque (.433 AVG, 13 RBIs), and Piper Garcia (.368 AVG, .684 SLG) anchoring the lineup.
- Baylea Myers has been a consistent force, leading the team in batting average (.462) and extra-base hits (3 doubles, 2 home runs).
- Piper Garcia continues her steady performance, hitting .368 across nine games while driving in six RBIs.
- Yaya Kaaialii (.417 AVG, .559 OBP) has been a crucial contributor, leading the team in walks (7) and providing a strong on-base presence.
Home on the Range
- LCU is 337-58 (85.3%) all-time in home games at Maner Park.
- Last season, LCU was 15-6 at home (24-8 in 2023). Last season marked the first time in program history that LCU did not host a non-conference game
- This season, LCU is 10-1 at home.
- The Lady Chaps have outscored opponents 100-30 at home, averaging 9.09 runs per game with an average margin of victory of 6.36.
- Yaya Kaaialii (.464 AVG, 13 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI) and Baylea Myers (.433 AVG, 13 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI) continue to lead the offensive charge.
- Kristen Boyd (.419 AVG, 13 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI) has been a key run producer, while Kendra Levesque (.412 AVG, 14 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI) has provided consistent power.
- Madison Ruiz (.500 AVG, 8 H, 2 3B, .750 SLG%) and Piper Garcia (.533 AVG, 8 H, 2 HR, .933 SLG%) have delivered in key moments.
- The Lady Chaps are hitting .390 as a team at home, with 92 RBIs and 16 stolen bases (in 16 attempts).
- Teoni Lamb (0.67 ERA, 21.0 IP, 24 K) has been dominant in four starts.
- Ashlinn Hamilton (0.81 ERA, 8.2 IP) and Natalee Gray (1.17 ERA, 6.0 IP, 12 K) have continued their strong performances in the circle.
- The LCU pitching staff holds a 2.19 ERA, limiting opponents to a .229 batting average while striking out 76 batters in 67 innings.
Streaking Along
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 Friday with a softball record of 567-201.
- 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 1,239 total games at LCU.
Looking at TAMUK
- Texas A&M-Kingsville sits at 11-10 overall (.524) and 6-4 in conference play (.600). They are currently on a two-game losing streak and are part of a five-way tie for fourth in the LSC standings. The Javelinas have been strong at home (4-0) but have not found the same success on the road (2-4). They've picked up key wins against Sul Ross State and UTPB but have also suffered tough losses, including sweeps against Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico.
- TAMUK ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference in batting average (.323) and on-base percentage (.411). Graduate outfielder Lindsey Evans leads the conference with a .525 batting average and is among the top hitters in total hits and walks.
- Freshman right-hander Arianna Alaniz has been a standout, ranking fourth in the conference with 62 strikeouts and holding batters to a .181 average, the third-lowest in the LSC.
- This weekend's road doubleheader against Lubbock Christian marks the last away series before a four-game homestand featuring matchups against West Texas A&M and Midwestern State.
