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TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (4-10, 4-10)
Jorge Haynes Field – Laredo, Texas
Friday, February 28 – 1 p.m.
LEADING OFF
The Lubbock Christian needs a win in a bad way and they will look to get back on track this weekend with a four-game series at Texas A&M-International. Currently riding an eight-game losing streak, the Chaps have been swept in back-to-back series at Texas A&M-Kingsville and at home against the No. 1 ranked Angelo State. There has been improvement though, as LCU hit .305 as a team in the series against the Rams, including .326 with runners in scoring position. George Mendazona led the offense with a batting average of .438 againt ASU and has his batting average all the way up to a team-leading .345 (minimum 15 at-bats).
THE CHAPARRAL NINE
• Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-International have met 26 times prior to this weekend's series
• The Chaps are 2-5 in road games this season, but have a road series win at St. Edward's
• TAMIU began its baseball program in 2007 and has an all-time record of 133-223
• Chaps and Dustdevils are tied for last in the Lone Star Conference with just three home runs apiece
• Lubbock Christian ranks No. 7 nationally and leads the LSC with 12 double plays turned this season
• The Chaps have stolen 16 bases already, which is more than half of their 2019 total
• LCU reliever Koi Carrillo is second in the conference and 14th nationally with seven appearances
• The Dustdevils are 4-10 this year and coming off a series loss at Cameron
MIX 'N MATCH
In order to try and jump start his struggling offense, head LCU baseball coach Nathan Blackwood has used 13 different starting lineups through the first 14 games of the season. Only one lineup variation has been used multiple times, and that happened in games two and three of the season at St. Edward's. Only five players have started in all 14 games, with 14 different position players having started in at least one game so far. Every player who has seen regular playing time has also been moved up and down the batting order, as evidenced by the five different players who have been used as the Chaps' leadoff batter during the 14 games.
SOLO SHOTS
Lubbock Christian's offense has combined for just three home runs so far this season, and each of those blasts have come without a runner on base. The most recent came off the bat of catcher Luis Navarro, who led off the second inning of the February 23 game against ASU with a blast over the left field wall at Hays Field. The two others have come from John Figueroa and George Mendazona. The solo shot trend could be carrying over from the 2019 season, when exactly half of LCU's 66 home runs came without runners on base, including 21 to lead off innings. The Chaps are currently tied with TAMIU and St. Mary's for the fewest home runs in the Lone Star Conference.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The four-game set with the Dustdevils will be road games 8-11 for the Chaps this season, as they have gone 2-5 in games away from home so far this year. LCU is batting just .219 in away games compared to a .270 average in games at Hays Field. The pitching staff has been better on the road, posting a 4.55 ERA there with 52 strikeouts and a .214 opponent's batting average. Mendazona has the best road batting average at .370, while Ty Stephenson's 1.35 ERA away from home leads the pitching staff.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
The Chaps rank in the top 10 nationally and lead the Lone Star Conference in exactly one team category this season – double plays turned. The Chaps have turned 12 double plays so far this season. It puts them on pace to turn 42 during the entirety of the 2020 season, which is exactly how many they turned in 2019. LCU's most double plays turned in a season in the last 10 years was in 2016, when they turned 49. The Chap pitching staff has is ground ball heavy with 124 groundouts to just 96 flyouts, but most of that difference can be attributed to Stephenson, who has gotten 33 groundouts and just 10 flyouts.
SETTING THE TABLE
One area where Lubbock Christian has excelled this season is in getting their leadoff batter on base, which they have done more than 40 percent of the time. In 119 leadoff opportunities, the batter has reached base 48 times this year. Five different Chap batters have seen time in the leadoff batter this season, led by Mendazona who has done it six times. Mendazona has reached base in seven of his 17 opportunities to lead off an inning (.412 OBP), but LCU's best leadoff batter has been Larry Leitha, who has reached base in a ridiculous nine of his 14 chances leading off an inning (.643 OBP).
NEW-LOOK CHAPS
Of the 111 hits LCU's offense has collected so far this season, a whopping 80.2 percent (89) have come from players who were not on the team a season ago, as the Chaps lost all nine of their starting position players from the 2019 roster. Furthermore, 77 and two thirds of the 116 and a third innings pitched (66.4 percent) this season have come from hurlers who did not throw for LCU last year. Stephenson has been the most used pitcher, throwing 24.2 innings across four starts with a 4.55 ERA. Mendazona has the top OBP on the Chaps (minimum 10 at-bats) at .438.
HOMEGROWN PRODUCTS
Of the 37 players on the 2020 Lubbock Christian roster, more than one fourth (10) played their high school baseball in Lubbock. Six played right across the street from Hays Field at Lubbock Christian High School, as well as one from Frenship, one from Cooper, one from Coronado and one from Lubbock High. There are another two from the immediate surrounding area, playing their prep ball in New Deal and Shallowater.
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
- TAMIU has one of the better hitting offenses in the LSC, with the fourth-best batting average at .302, but they have converted it into just 66 runs, which is the fifth fewest in the league
- Infielder Luis Flores leads the Texas A&M International offense with a .404 batting average, which is the 12th best in the Lone Star Conference
- The Dustdevil pitching staff has posted an earned run average of 6.77 so far this season, which is the fifth highest among the 14 LSC teams
- Pitcher Hugo Mendiola has appeared the most often of any TAMIU hurler, coming into nine different games this season. His nine appearances lead the LSC and are the second-most in all of Division II
- Texas A&M International's pitching staff has hit 27 batter this season, which is the fifth most in the nation
THE SERIES WITH TAMIU
Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M International first met in the 2014 season, which was LCU's first in the Lone Star Conference, and the two teams have met 26 times on the diamond overall. The Chaps have a 21-6 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the two teams met in a pair of series, with the home team winning each series two games to one.
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LCU Back on the Road to Face TAMIU - LCU Athletics
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