SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 8, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University closes out an eight-game road trip Sunday at St. Mary's Softball Stadium, as the Lady Chaparrals put their four-game win streak to the test against St. Mary's with a 1 p.m. Lone Star Conference doubleheader.
| LSC SOFTBALL |
| OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
VIDEO |
LIVE STATS |
WEATHER |
| St. Mary's |
San Antonio, Texas |
Sun., Mar. 8 |
1 p.m. |
Watch |
Stats |
Forecast |
| St. Mary's |
San Antonio, Texas |
Sun., Mar. 8 |
3 p.m. |
Watch |
Stats |
Forecast |
LCU and StMU Series Snapshot
- Despite wins in six of the prior nine meetings, LCU trails the all-time series 23-24.
- LCU is 9-19 all-time against StMU in San Antonio and the two teams are 4-4 in the prior eight meetings in The Alamo City. The prior five meetings (all over the prior two seasons) have all been in San Antonio and all have been on the Mar. 8-9 weekend.
- Thirteen (13) of the previous 27 meetings have been decided by a run and nine of the past 17 LCU wins in the head-to-head series have been one-run decisions.
Season Tidbits
- LCU is 12–10 overall and 8–4 in Lone Star Conference play through 22 games, placing sixth in the conference standings. After opening the season 0–5, the Lady Chaps responded with a 12–5 stretch to climb above .500. LCU has been strong away from home, posting an 8–2 record in true road games while going 2–6 at neutral sites. The Lady Chaps enter the week on a four-game win streak after completing a doubleheader sweep at St. Edward's, marking their fourth road doubleheader sweep of the season (Vanguard, Midwestern State, Cameron and St. Edward's).
- Offensively, LCU is hitting .276 as a team, producing 177 hits, 34 doubles, six triples and eight home runs while averaging 5.0 runs per game (110 runs). The Lady Chaps have also been active on the bases, going 23-for-32 (71.9%) in stolen base attempts.
- Defensively, LCU leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks among the national leaders with 14 double plays turned, averaging 0.64 double plays per game.
- Kadin Vire leads the team with a .417 batting average (30-for-72) and has totaled nine doubles, three triples and a home run while posting a .667 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage. She also leads the team with 21 runs scored and has recorded 10 multi-hit games this season.
- Ashlinn Hamilton leads LCU with 20 RBI and recently delivered the first three-hit game of her career, finishing 3-for-6 with four RBI in the comeback win at St. Edward's.
- Coryn Burris has driven in 15 RBI and leads the team with three home runs, while Brianna Chambers-Lee has added 13 RBI.
- Alexis Pacheco leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks among the national leaders with 76 assists (3.45 per game) while adding 17 hits, nine RBI and two home runs at the plate.
- Ava Castillo and Madison Hunter co-lead the Lady Chaps with six stolen bases this season.
- In the circle, LCU owns a 3.16 team ERA, which ranks among the top teams in the Lone Star Conference. Opponents are batting .264 against the Lady Chaps.
- Natalee Gray (5–2, 3.29 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 44.2 innings pitched and 26 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .231 batting average. Earlier this season she recorded a perfect game at Vanguard, part of a stretch of 13 consecutive perfect innings.
- Lexi Clark (4–2, 2.48 ERA) has logged 42.1 innings with two complete-game shutouts and is holding opponents to a .252 batting average.
- Kendall Ward (3–2, 2.81 ERA) leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks among the national leaders with four saves while making 11 appearances. The sophomore owns nine career saves, ranking second in program history, one shy of matching the all-time LCU record.
- Defensively, the Lady Chaps own a .958 fielding percentage and have turned 14 double plays, continuing to rank among the conference leaders in defensive efficiency.
Lone Star Conference Breakdown
- This season is LCU's seventh season in the LSC.
- LCU is 129-74 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 8-4 this season in LSC play (opened up conference with a 4-0 start for the second time ever as LSC members).
- LCU is hitting .261 in Lone Star Conference games, producing 93 hits and 62 runs (5.2 runs per game) through 12 league contests. The Lady Chaps own a .333 on-base percentage and a .360 slugging percentage, totaling 23 extra-base hits (16 doubles, two triples and five home runs) while going 13-for-17 in stolen base attempts.
- Kadin Vire is batting .375 (15-for-40) in conference play with five doubles, one triple and one home run, posting a .625 slugging percentage and .457 on-base percentage. She has scored 11 runs with nine RBI and is 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts.
- Lexi Clark is hitting .243 (9-for-37) in LSC games with two doubles and eight RBI. In the circle, she is 3–1 with a 1.85 ERA across 30.1 innings, recording two complete game shutouts while limiting opponents to a .227 batting average.
- Ashlinn Hamilton is batting .289 with a .526 slugging percentage in conference play, including two home runs and a team-leading 12 RBI, while also contributing seven runs scored.
- As a pitching staff, LCU owns a 2.63 ERA in conference play with a 1.27 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .239 batting average across 88.0 innings while recording 45 strikeouts.
- The Lady Chaps have allowed 38 runs (33 earned) in league action while holding opponents to 79 hits.
- Kendall Ward (2–1, 1.58 ERA) leads the bullpen in conference play with two saves across 17.2 innings, holding opponents to a .227 batting average.
- Defensively, LCU has turned seven double plays and owns a .967 fielding percentage in Lone Star Conference games.
Road Review
- LCU is 8–2 in true road games this season, including a 6–2 Lone Star Conference record away from home. The Lady Chaps opened the season with four consecutive road victories and have recorded four shutouts in their 10 road contests.
- The Lady Chaps own a 1.91 ERA in road games, allowing 21 earned runs on 61 hits across 77.0 innings while holding opponents to a .222 batting average and surrendering just three home runs. LCU pitchers have combined for four complete games and two complete game shutouts away from home.
- Kendall Ward has been dominant on the road, going 3–0 with a 0.31 ERA across 22.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on 16 hits while holding opponents to a .205 batting average with two saves.
- Natalee Gray is 3–1 with a 2.96 ERA in road appearances, tossing 26.0 innings while striking out 15 and limiting opponents to a .202 batting average. She produced a perfect game at Vanguard and was perfect in 13 consecutive innings pitched.
- Alexis Clark is 2–1 with a 2.19 ERA in road games, recording two complete games and two shutouts across 22.1 innings pitched.
- Offensively, LCU is hitting .241 in road games, totaling 74 hits with 25 extra-base hits (19 doubles, two triples and four home runs) while scoring 43 runs.
- Kadin Vire leads the road lineup with a .371 batting average (13-for-35), recording five doubles, one triple and one home run for a .657 slugging percentage.
- Ashlinn Hamilton is batting .324 in road games, collecting 11 hits with two home runs and a team-leading 11 RBI while posting a .588 slugging percentage.
- LCU has outscored opponents 43–24 in road games and owns a 4–0 record when scoring five or more runs away from home. The Lady Chaps are also 2–0 in extra-inning road games this season.
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.
- Riley Flores is LCU's active leader in consecutive games with a hit, as she has been successful in four games.
- Cat Prisock has reached base safely in seven consecutive games.
- Additionally, Vire leads LCU with 10 multi-hit performances (seven are two-hit games).
- Ashlinn Hamilton leads LCU with five 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 600-228 (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 1,347 total games at LCU.
Looking at StMU
- St. Mary's enters the weekend with a 15–8 overall record and a 7–3 mark in Lone Star Conference play, placing the Rattlers among the top teams in the league standings. StMU has won three consecutive games after sweeping Midwestern State (3–1, 2–0) on Friday and has posted a 6–4 record at home this season.
- Offensively, the Rattlers feature one of the most productive lineups in the Lone Star Conference, hitting .325 as a team with 193 hits, 33 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs, averaging 5.5 runs per game (127 runs) while posting a .401 team on-base percentage. St. Mary's has also been aggressive on the bases, successfully stealing 61 bases in 66 attempts (92.4%).
- Gabriela Banda has been the Rattlers' most dangerous hitter, batting .500 with seven doubles, three home runs and 27 RBI while posting a .796 slugging percentage. She is joined by Iliana Melendez (.422) and Raegan Tennill (.375) as part of a lineup that features six regular starters hitting .300 or better this season.
- In the circle, St. Mary's owns a 3.93 team ERA with seven complete games and three shutouts. Ariella Saenz (6–3, 3.71 ERA) leads the staff with 60.1 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts, while Breanna Ford (1.43 ERA) and Emily Ayala (3.80 ERA) have also contributed multiple complete games for the Rattlers.
- St. Mary's is led by first-year head coach Taylor Lira, who took over the program prior to the 2026 season after a successful five-year run at Sterling College (Kan.). Lira guided Sterling to a 37–19 record and an NCCAA World Series semifinal appearance in 2025, and the matchup marks the first meeting between LCU and a Lira-coached St. Mary's squad.
