LUBBOCK, Texas (February 20, 2026) – Opening the season with their first 12 games away from home, Lubbock Christian University makes their home debut Friday at 2 p.m. hosting UT Permian Basin for a Lone Star Conference doubleheader at Maner Park.
| LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL |
| OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
VIDEO |
STATS |
WEATHER |
| UTPB |
Maner Park |
Fri., Feb. 20 |
2 p.m. |
Watch |
Stats |
Weather |
| UTPB |
Maner Park |
Fri., Feb. 20 |
4 p.m. |
Watch |
Stats |
Weather |
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LCU and UTPB Series Snapshot
- Lubbock Christian owns a perfect 41-0 all-time record against UT Permian Basin.
- The Lady Chaps went 5-0 against UTPB last season, with three of the wins played in Lubbock.
- LCU has never lost to UTPB, holding a 25-0 record at home and a 15-0 record in Odessa.
- The Lady Chaps are 22-0 against the Falcons in Lone Star Conference games.
- LCU has scored 351 total runs in the series, averaging 8.6 runs per game.
- LCU has recorded 21 shutouts in the series, including eight of the last 12 meetings.
- The largest margin was a 16-2 win on February 25, 2015.
- The Lady Chaps have run-ruled UTPB in 16 of the 41 matchups.
Season Tidbits
- LCU is 4–6 on the season after rebounding from an 0–5 start to win four of its last five games.
- LCU is 6–6 overall and 2–0 in Lone Star Conference play, riding a four-game win streak after opening the season 0–5. The Lady Chaps have won six of their last seven games.
- The Lady Chaps are hitting .277 as a team through 12 games, ranking 10th in the LSC, while producing 99 hits and 34 extra-base hits (26 doubles, five triples, three home runs).
- LCU ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference and 13th nationally with 26 doubles (2.17 per game).
- The Lady Chaps lead the Lone Star Conference and rank 11th nationally with six double plays turned (0.50 per game).
- Kadin Vire is batting .488 (20-for-41) with seven doubles and two triples. She ranks third in the LSC in hits (20), first in doubles (7), and second nationally in assists among position players (41).
- Coryn Burris leads LCU with 12 RBI and two home runs, ranking 11th in the LSC in RBI, while Ashlinn Hamilton has 11 RBI and four doubles.
- Alexis Pacheco ranks first in the Lone Star Conference and fifth nationally in assists per game (3.42).
- Ava Castillo is 3-for-3 in stolen bases, while LCU is 11-of-18 as a team.
- In the circle, LCU owns a 3.06 team ERA, ranking fifth in the LSC and 63rd nationally, with a 1.37 WHIP (fourth in the conference).
- Natalee Gray (2–0, 1.27 ERA) ranks second in the LSC in hits allowed per seven innings (3.18) and first in the conference in WHIP (0.55). She was named LSC Pitcher of the Week after tossing a perfect game at Vanguard and carrying another perfect game into the seventh inning at Midwestern State.
- Lexi Clark (2–1, 2.58 ERA) has thrown a complete-game shutout and is holding opponents to a .260 average.
- Kendall Ward (2–1) has two saves, ranking tied for first in the LSC in saves.
- LCU has recorded three shutouts this season, tied for third in the Lone Star Conference.
- Over the last five games, no opponent has recorded more than six hits in a game after LCU allowed seven or more hits in each of its first seven contests.
- LCU is averaging 4.67 runs per game with a .403 slugging percentage and has outscored opponents 24–4 during its current four-game win streak.
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
- This season is LCU's seventh season in the LSC.
- LCU is 123-70 all-time in LSC play.
- The Lady Chaps went 26-18 last season in conference (third in the West Division standings at 18-10).
- LCU is 2-0 this season in LSC play.
- LCU owns a microscopic 0.35 team ERA in conference play, allowing just one earned run over 20.0 innings with a .149 opponent batting average and a 0.60 WHIP.
- Lexi Clark (7.0 IP, CG shutout) and Kendall Ward (7.0 IP, 0 ER) have yet to allow an earned run in conference action, while Natalee Gray struck out eight and limited opponents to a .053 average in her LSC start.
- Eight of LCU's 15 conference hits have gone for doubles, plus a triple — meaning 60% of their hits in league play have been for extra bases.
- Vire is batting .556 (5-for-9) in conference games with three doubles and eight total bases, posting a team-best 1.445 OPS.
- LCU has outscored conference opponents 8–2, striking out 13 while issuing just two walks in the circle, and holding opponents to just two total extra-base hits in two games.
Home Openers
- LCU is 16-2 all-time in home openers at PlainsCapital Park.
- The two losses have come in recent openers, as LCU fell to Washburn in 2023 and Oklahoma Christian in 2024. Both Washburn and OC were nationally ranked.
- LCU enters this season with an all-time mark of 348-63 (84.7%) all-time in home games at Maner Park. They went 21-6 last season at home.
Streaking Along
- Kadin Vire has built up a nine-game hit streak, which actively leads the Lady Chaps and it is the longest of the season. She also leads the team in reaching base safely in nine straight games.
- Additionally, Vire leads LCU with eight multi-hit performances (seven are two-hit games).
- Ashlinn Hamilton leads LCU with three multi-RBI performances.
Coach Talk
- LCU head coach Daren Hays is in his 16th season at the helm of the Lady Chaps.
- Hays is LCU's winningest softball head coach, entering the weekend with a softball record of 594-224.
- Along with surpassing 575 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 1,289 total games at LCU.
Looking at UTPB
- Under first-year head coach David Martinez (formerly at Henderson State), UTPB is off to a 7–2 start and riding a four-game winning streak, including a four-game home sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Falcons are 4–0 at home and 3–2 at neutral sites.
- UTPB ranks third in the LSC in home runs per game (1.00) with nine long balls in nine contests. Three players — Angelina Arriaga, Gabriella Cabrera and Laila Vasquez — have two home runs apiece, while the team owns a .471 slugging percentage (fifth in the LSC).
- The Falcons are hitting .298 as a team (sixth in the LSC) and averaging 5.11 runs per game. Keri Sanford leads the way at .464 with a .545 on-base percentage, while Arriaga is batting .444 with a team-best .889 slugging percentage.
- Jessica Cantrell has emerged as the staff ace, going 3–0 with a 0.80 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. She ranks second in the LSC in total strikeouts and leads the conference in strikeouts per seven innings (9.0).
- UTPB ranks second in the Lone Star Conference with a .968 fielding percentage, committing just eight errors in nine games. That defensive efficiency has helped support a pitching staff holding opponents to a .236 batting average.
