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A Game Day promotional graphic for LCU Softball against Eastern New Mexico. A smiling player in number 6 orange and blue Chaps uniform stands at home plate gesturing with her hand, while a pitcher in white winds up in the upper left. The bright blue sky background shows Maner Park's softball diamond. Text reads

Barking Up The Standings Tree: Greyhounds Roll Into Lubbock As LCU Looks To Answer

| By: Chris Due (chris.due@lcu.edu)

Lady Chaps Seek Rebound At Maner Park As Tightly Packed LSC Race Intensifies Against Surging ENMU

LUBBOCK, Texas (March 21, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University will aim to rebound from Friday's home losses to No.1 West Texas A&M Sunday, as they close the weekend with a 1 p.m. Lone Star Conference doubleheader against Eastern New Mexico at Maner Park
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE SOFTBALL
OPPONENT LOCATION DAY TIME (CT) VIDEO STATS WEATHER
Eastern N.M. Maner Park  Sun., Mar. 21 1 p.m. Watch Stats Weather
Eastern N.M. Maner Park  Sun., Mar. 21 3 p.m. Watch Stats Weather
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LCU and ENMU Series Snapshot
  • Lubbock Christian dominates the all-time series against Eastern New Mexico, owning a 48–1 record since the first meeting on Feb. 12, 2010.
  • The Lady Chaps had won 42 consecutive games over the Greyhounds before suffering their only loss in the series—a 4–3 extra-inning defeat on Feb. 27, 2024 in Portales (LCU has won six meetings since).
  • LCU has an 13–1 mark in LSC matchups since they became LSC foes in 2021.
  • The Lady Chaps are a perfect 24–0 against ENMU at home and 20–1 on the road, having outscored the Greyhounds by a combined total of 463–163 across 49 meetings.
  • LCU has 11 all-time shutout wins against ENMU, with five occurring over the prior 16 meetings.

Season Tidbits
  • Lubbock Christian is 14–14 overall and 10–8 in Lone Star Conference play through 28 games, remaining in the middle of the league standings. After opening the season 0–5, the Lady Chaps have gone 14–9 since. LCU went 5–3 on an eight-game road trip and followed a series sweep at St. Mary's with a home doubleheader sweep of Midwestern State prior to dropping a pair of games Friday.
  • The Lady Chaps continue to perform well away from home, posting an 8–4 road record, while going 4–4 at home and 2–6 at neutral sites.
  • Offensively, LCU is hitting .278 as a team, totaling 220 hits, 40 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs, while averaging 4.68 runs per game (130 runs). The Lady Chaps have added 25 stolen bases (25-for-35, 71.4%).
  • Defensively, LCU leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks No. 1 nationally with 16 double plays turned (0.57 per game), while posting a .957 fielding percentage.
  • Kadin Vire continues to lead the offense with a .422 batting average (38-for-90), adding nine doubles, three triples and two home runs, along with a .656 slugging percentage and .485 on-base percentage. She also leads the team with 24 runs scored and has 13 multi-hit games, carrying a seven-game hitting streak.
  • Ashlinn Hamilton leads LCU with 26 RBI and has added four home runs, including a grand slam in Friday's doubleheader. She also owns a .294 average and continues to be a key run producer in the middle of the lineup.
  • Coryn Burris has driven in 17 RBI and is tied for second on the squad with three home runs, while Brianna Chambers-Lee has contributed 13 RBI.
  • Alexis Pacheco leads the nation and the Lone Star Conference with 96 assists (3.43 per game) and has added 21 hits, 13 RBI and three home runs. She is coming off a multi-hit performance in Friday's doubleheader.
  • Madison Hunter (7) and Ava Castillo (6) lead the team in stolen bases, with Hunter perfect on the season.
  • In the circle, LCU owns a 3.84 team ERA, ranking among the top teams in the Lone Star Conference, with opponents batting .272.
  • Natalee Gray (6–4, 4.12 ERA) leads the staff with 31 strikeouts and is second on the staff with 52.2 innings pitched, while holding opponents to a .249 batting average.
  • Lexi Clark (5–4, 2.89 ERA) has logged a team-leading 53.1 innings with two complete-game shutouts, continuing to provide stability in the rotation.
  • Kendall Ward (3–2, 2.54 ERA) leads the nation and LSC with six saves and remains LCU's all-time career saves leader (11), anchoring the bullpen in late-game situations.
 
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
  • This season is LCU's seventh season in the LSC.
  • LCU is 131-78 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 10-8 this season in LSC play (opened up conference with a 4-0 start for the second time ever as LSC members).
    • Lubbock Christian is 10–8 in Lone Star Conference play through 18 games, placing them in a tightly packed middle tier of the standings, where four teams are separated by just two games. With Eastern New Mexico also sitting at 10–8, Sunday's home doubleheader carries significant positioning implications as both teams battle to stay within striking distance of the league's top four.
    • The Lady Chaps are averaging 4.6 runs per game (82 runs) in conference play, hitting .269 as a team with 136 hits, including 24 extra-base hits (22 doubles, two triples) and nine home runs. LCU has posted a .335 on-base percentage and .374 slugging percentage, while converting 15-of-20 stolen base attempts (75%).
    • Kadin Vire continues to pace the offense, batting .397 (23-for-58) in conference action with five doubles, one triple and two home runs. She owns a .621 slugging percentage and .470 on-base percentage, while extending her current hitting streak to seven games entering Sunday.
    • Ashlinn Hamilton has been a consistent run producer, hitting .298 with four home runs and 18 RBI in league play, while posting a .561 slugging percentage. She has also been effective in relief, posting a 1.31 ERA over 16.0 innings, limiting opponents to a .167 batting average.
    • Riley Flores is batting .333 in LSC games with a .420 on-base percentage and has reached base safely in 10 consecutive contests, while Brianna Chambers-Lee (.268) and Alexis Clark (10 RBI) continue to provide depth through the middle of the lineup.
    • Additional offensive production has come from Piper Garcia, who is hitting .357 in conference play, and Ava Castillo, who has added speed on the bases (3-for-4 SB) as part of LCU's situational offense.
    • In the circle, Alexis Clark is 4–3 with a 2.54 ERA across 41.1 innings in conference play, recording two complete games and three shutouts while limiting opponents to a .253 batting average.
    • Kendall Ward has anchored the bullpen, going 2–1 with a 1.29 ERA and four saves over 21.2 innings. She has held opponents to a .203 batting average and continues to be a late-game stabilizer.
    • As a staff, LCU owns a 3.81 ERA in conference play across 125.0 innings, allowing 125 hits with 62 strikeouts, while opponents are batting .259.
    • Defensively, the Lady Chaps have turned 11 double plays in LSC play and carry a .962 fielding percentage, continuing to rank among the most efficient defensive units in the conference.
    • LCU opened conference play 6–2 but has gone 4–6 over its last 10 league contests, including losses to three of the conference's top four teams (Angelo State, Oklahoma Christian and West Texas A&M), underscoring the importance of capitalizing on matchups within the middle tier of the standings.
 
Home Sweet Home
  • LCU is 352-67 (84.0%) all-time in home games at Maner Park.
  • Last season, LCU was 21-6 at home (15-6 in 2024). This season will match their 2024 home slate, as 2024 was the only prior season in program history in which LCU did not host a non-conference game. 
  • This season, LCU is 4–4 at home, with all eight games coming in Lone Star Conference play. The Lady Chaps have faced two of the league's top teams (Angelo State, West Texas A&M) at Maner Park, making Sunday's matchup with Eastern New Mexico another key opportunity within the conference's tightly packed middle standings.
  • LCU has outscored opponents 47–45 at home (+2 run differential), averaging 5.9 runs per game while allowing 5.6 runs per contest.
  • Offensively, the Lady Chaps are hitting a strong .337 at Maner Park, producing 69 hits in 205 at-bats with a .388 on-base percentage and .449 slugging percentage. LCU has gone 9-for-10 (90%) on stolen base attempts, continuing to show efficiency on the bases.
  • Alexis Pacheco has been a standout at home, batting .409 (9-for-22) with two home runs and a .727 slugging percentage, while reaching base at a .458 clip.
  • Kadin Vire continues to set the tone, hitting .400 at home with a .464 on-base percentage and a .640 slugging percentage, while scoring a team-high eight runs in those games.
  • Alexis Clark has contributed both offensively and in the circle, hitting .350 at home while going 2–1 with a 2.06 ERA across four starts, logging 17.0 innings.
  • Riley Flores (.316) and Brianna Chambers-Lee (.316) have provided consistency, while Ashlinn Hamilton (.304, 2 HR) continues to be a power presence and a two-way contributor.
  • Additional depth has come from Piper Garcia (.571 in limited at-bats) and Ava Castillo (.500), helping boost LCU's overall team production at home.
  • In the circle, LCU owns a 5.32 ERA at home across 50.0 innings, with 30 strikeouts and opponents hitting .284. The staff has combined for four wins, with Clark and Natalee Gray each earning two.
  • Kendall Ward has recorded two saves in home action, continuing to serve as a late-inning option, while Ashlinn Hamilton has been effective in relief with a 1.75 ERA.
  • Defensively, LCU holds a .956 fielding percentage at home and has turned four double plays, continuing to be one of the more efficient defensive units in the conference.
  • The Lady Chaps have shown offensive explosiveness at Maner Park, highlighted by a doubleheader sweep of UT Permian Basin (9–1, 14–0) and a sweep of Midwestern State (4–2, 5–2), while four of their home games have come against nationally ranked opposition—adding context to the .500 home record.
 
Streaking Along
  • Kadin Vire had an 11-game hit streak and a 14-game streak of reaching base safely, which are each the longest streaks of the season by a Lady Chap.
  • Vire, again, is LCU's active leader in consecutive games with a hit, as she has been successful in seven games.
  • Riley Flores and Vire have each reached base safely in 10 consecutive games.
  • Additionally, Vire leads LCU with 12 multi-hit performances (nine are two-hit games).
  • Ashlinn Hamilton leads LCU with six 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 602-232 (he became the 25th active NCAA Div. II head coach to achieve 600 career softball victories).
  • Along with surpassing 600 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 1,353 total games at LCU.

Looking at ENMU
  • Eastern New Mexico enters the weekend at 10–8 in Lone Star Conference play (14–11 overall), sitting in a four-way tie for seventh place with Lubbock Christian, making this series a pivotal midseason separator in the league standings. The Greyhounds arrive on a five-game winning streak, including a dominant road sweep of Midwestern State (11–2, 13–1 in five innings), and have won six of their last eight conference games.
  • Offensively, ENMU is one of the more productive lineups in the LSC, hitting .296 as a team with 185 hits and 156 runs scored (6.2 runs/game). The Greyhounds have shown balance with 35 doubles and 22 home runs, while posting a .420 on-base percentage—one of the top marks in the conference—creating consistent traffic on the bases.
  • The lineup is headlined by Christina Meneses (.419, 5 HR, 26 RBI), who ranks among the conference leaders in both average and slugging (.758), while also drawing 18 walks for a .548 on-base percentage. She is supported by a deep core including Samantha Parisi (.364), Seneca Aarstad (.341, 3 HR, 16 RBI) and Emily Marsh (.314, 21 runs), giving ENMU multiple hitters capable of producing in key spots.
  • In the circle, ENMU features a two-arm rotation led by Marissa Rodriguez (7–0, 3.81 ERA), who has logged 53.1 innings and remains unbeaten on the season, and Miranda Guillen (6–4, 4.13 ERA), who leads the staff with 63 strikeouts across 64.1 innings. As a staff, the Greyhounds hold a 5.61 ERA, but have shown the ability to limit damage when backed by run support.
  • Defensively and on the bases, ENMU plays a clean and aggressive style, posting a .959 fielding percentage while going a perfect 14-for-14 in stolen base attempts. Their ability to apply pressure offensively—combined with recent momentum and positioning in the tightly packed LSC standings—makes this weekend's matchup in Lubbock a high-stakes series with postseason implications for both programs.
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