LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (31-19, 30-18 LSC) vs.
WEST TEXAS A&M (31-19, 29-29 LSC)
Friday, May 2, 2025 – 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 3, 2025 – 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 4– 1 p.m. (if necessary)
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
 
LEADING OFF
It's time for postseason baseball, as the No. 4 seed Lubbock Christian hosts the No. 5 seed West Texas A&M for a best-of-three series in the opening round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. The Chaps finished just one game ahead of the Buffs, and the two teams split the regular season series. The winner of this weekend's series will advance to next week's final site, which features a double-elimination tournament hosted by the No. 1 seed Angelo State. LCU finished the regular season with a 31-19 overall record and a 30-18 showing in league play. This is the fourth straight year the Chaps have finished top four in the LSC and earned the right to host an opening-round series.
 
TOURNEY TIME
This will be LCU's fifth-straight trip to the Lone Star Conference Tournament, which includes every year they have been in the league (except 2020, when no tournament was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Chaps are 13-7 all-time in the league's postseason matchups, including winning last year's conference tournament title without taking a loss. They have been the higher seed in four of their five tournament appearances and have only lost the opening round series once (2022) and have only played the full three-game series once (2021) as well.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Lubbock Christian enters the weekend ranked No. 5 nationally in slugging percentage (.589), No. 6 in scoring (10.3), No. 5 in home runs (81), No. 3 in hits (585) and No. 8 in batting average (.349). They are also second nationally in walks drawn with 296 for a team on-base percentage of .456. Seven of the nine Chaparral starters are batting at least .330 on the season, including Brevin McCool and Jacob Gutierrez both batting above .400. LCU hit .323 as a team in the series against UT Permian Basin with nine doubles, one triple and three home runs.
 
REGIONALLY RECOGNIZED
The second round of NCAA Division II regional rankings were released on Wednesday, and this week's list actually has the teams ranked 1-8. Lubbock Christian checked in at No. 7, which would make them the first team out from making the NCAA Tournament if the season were over today. There are three LSC teams and three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams currently in the top six. Behind LCU, at No. 8 is their opponent for this weekend, West Texas A&M. Angelo State is currently the No. 1 seed in the rankings.
 
APRIL SHOWERS
Lubbock Christian had a strong month of April on the diamond, going 10-6 overall, including a 6-2 showing at Hays Field. They hit .346 as a team during the month and reached base at a .444 clip. Kyle Lewis led the offense, batting a whopping .500 for the month with eight doubles, one triple and two homers, while Brevin McCool homered 10 times and collected 53 total bases. The pitching staff posted a 7.23 ERA in 120.2 innings across the 16 games. Ryan Markwardt led the way with a 1.90 ERA in 23.2 innings, and Andrew Duran posted a 2.40 ERA in six appearances.
 
TO START WITH…
The starting rotation shrinks by one for this weekend's series, as the Chaps and Buffs will play a best-of-three series. Markwardt, Karson Dunn and Logan Moore will make up the starting rotation for LCU, which has gotten an 8.50 ERA in 192.2 innings of work from their starting pitchers this season. Markwardt leads the staff with a 3.31 ERA and tops the conference with 79 strikeouts. Dunn had his best outing of the season against West Texas A&M earlier this year, setting season highs in innings pitched (7.0) and strikeouts (7). The Buffs are projected to use Matt Milner, Max Langford and Julius Carpio in their rotation.
 
RECORD CHASIN'
McCool broke another record last weekend against the Falcons when his second homer in the series opener left the yard. The New Mexico native now has 30 bombs on the year, breaking the LSC single-season record of 29 previously held by Cameron's Chase Larsson (2011). McCool now holds the league's single-game (4), single-season (30) and career (60) home run records. He is one shy of tying the LCU single-season record, set by Barry Wilkins in 1987. That season, Wilkins hit .364 and lead the nation in round-trippers, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors. Wilkins did set the record in 73 games, averaging .425 homers per game. McCool is averaging .60 home runs per game this season. Finally, McCool is three homers away from tying the Lubbock Christian career record. That record has been held for 48 years by John "The Franchise" Harris, who was drafted after his junior season (1976) and eventually made it to the big leagues with the California Angels.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Lubbock Christian has the third-best fielding percentage in the Lone Star Conference at .970. They have committed just 51 errors on the year, including 19 games without an error. They are 17-2 in those contests. Earlier this season, they went four straight games without an error, marking the first time they have gone more than three games in a row without an error since March 29 to April 9, 2019, when they went six straight games. If the season ended today, it would be their highest fielding percentage in a season since 2017, when the Chaps posted a .972 mark with just 57 errors on the year. LCU is also No. 2 in the league and No. 21 nationally in double plays turned with 39.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Chaps went 16-8 on their home field during the regular season with a team batting average 76 points higher than on the road. Originally dedicated on April 29, 1978 as Chaparral Stadium, the complex was renamed Hays Field in 1999 to honor the L.D., Pearl, Larry, and Daren Hays families for their dedication and commitment to the ideals and values of Lubbock Christian University. The playing dimensions of Hays Field measure 340 feet down the lines, 380 feet to the power alleys, and 400 feet to straight away center. The Chaparrals are 1,198-367 in home games all-time.
 
STREAKS & MULTIS
McCool's 31-game reached base streak came to a halt during game three of the UTPB series, leaving Frayner Chavez with the longest active reached base streak at 15 games. Nicklaus Baumbach has the longest active hit streak at nine games. Gutierrez has the most multi-hit games on the team with 27, leading to his .424 batting average that is second-best in the conference. McCool still leads the way with 19 multi-RBI games.
 
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 3,446 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,312 wins and 1,134 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 833-386 record.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M have met 86 times on the diamond in a series that began all the way back in 1971, which was LCU's first season with a baseball program. The Chaps lead the all-time series 58-28, including a 6-4 advantage in the last 20 games. In the regular season meeting, Lubbock Christian won the first two games and lost the next two. The last time these teams met in the playoffs was 2023, when the Chaps also hosted the Buffs in the first round of the LSC tournament. LCU took the series in two games, winning 13-12 in 10 innings and 3-2 in 12 innings.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• West Texas A&M is led by first year head coach Cory Hall, who was previously an assistant to Matt Vanderburg for 14 seasons
• WT is making their 13th straight and 15th overall appearance in the Lone Star Conference Tournament
• The Buffs finished the season with a .334 batting average (fourth in the LSC) and a 6.51ERA (sixth in the LSC)
• WT outfielder Ryan Camacho is the reigning LSC Hitter of the Week after batting .533 with two home runs and a double in a series win against Texas A&M-Kingsville
• The Buffs have the second-best fielding percentage in the conference at .973