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LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (5-9, 5-9 LSC) vs.
UT DALLAS (10-4, 10-4 LSC)
Friday, Feb. 27 – 4 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28 – 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 1 – 1 p.m.
Hays Field – Lubbock, Texas
LEADING OFF
Lubbock Christian University will be trying to right the ship this weekend as they host UT Dallas for a four-game series at Hays Field. The Comets are new to both the Lone Star Conference and Division II, moving up from the Division III ranks, but have made a splash early in the season, going 10-4 so far, including a sweep last weekend of Eastern New Mexico. The Chaparrals are coming off a stinging series loss to St. Mary’s at home that featured late leads blown in a pair of contests, despite strong starting pitching all weekend. They will be looking for their second series win of the season as UTD comes to town.
TO START WITH
The Chaparral starting rotation had its best weekend of the season so far last weekend against the Rattlers. The foursome of Karson Dunn, Aaron Rubio, Kyle England and Caden Cline combined to post a 3.76 ERA in 26.1 innings on the mound. Rubio had the best outing, allowing just two runs in a complete game. Cline started the Sunday game and tossed 8.2 innings, which is the most by a Chap since 2023, and Dunn continued his hot start to the season, allowing just three earned runs in his six innings of work on Friday. The senior’s 1.88 ERA is the second-best in the LSC among qualified pitchers. Against StMU, the rotation struck out 18 batters and limited them to a .250 batting average.
PITCHER’S BEST FRIEND
LCU’s pitching staff overall has been helped often by the defense behind them. The 13 double plays turned this season are the 13th most in Division II and rank third in the LSC. Chap pitchers lean ground ball heavy overall, getting 125 groundouts to just 93 flyouts so far this year. Dunn is the most ground ball heavy, with 37 groundouts to just 16 flyouts. Rubio has induced the most double plays overall though, with four on his tally this year.
POWER SURGE
Lubbock Christian enters the weekend ranked second in the conference in slugging percentage, with a team mark of .493. A big chunk of that comes from their ability to hit the long ball, with 17 homers already in 2026, which also ranks second in the LSC. St. Mary’s is just ahead with 18 this year. Hudson Grace leads the team in slugging percentage at .660. In less playing time, Roe Forrest is not far behind at .625. The pair co-lead the team in home runs with three apiece, along with Johnny Gomez III, who also has three, but has not homered since Feb. 6. In total, the Chaps have 53 extra-base hits this year.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
Of those 53 extra-base hits, 32 have gone for doubles, which is the third-most in the conference and ranks 18th in the nation. This weekend’s opponent, UT Dallas, actually leads the league with 35 doubles. Lewis leads the team, ranks 28th nationally and third in the conference with six. In the Feb. 7 game against SRSU, the team had nine doubles in one game, which was the most they’d had in a game since they had 10 on May 18, 2024 against UT Permian Basin. Four of those came from designated hitter Owen Alsup, and by doing so he tied the LCU program record, set by Brevin McCool on May 25, 2024.
NERVES OF STEAL
LCU has swiped 30 bases so far this season, which is the third-most in the conference and 28th nationally. They might not seem like eye-popping numbers, but for the Chap program is quite the level of larceny. Averaging 2.14 stolen bases per game puts them on pace for 107 in the regular season. They most bases the Chaps have stolen in the NCAA era is 87 in 2024, but even that season they only averaged 1.42 per game. Grace leads the team with 10 already this year. On Feb. 13, Jorge De Los Santos stole three bases against Oklahoma Christian, which is the most by a Chap in a game this season.
WEARING IT
Lubbock Christian batters have been hit by a whopping 31 pitches already this season, which is the fourth-most in the conference and ranks 19th in Division II. Ten of those came in the three games against Sul Ross. Tanner Pachorek has taken one for the team five times already this year, which leads the team. In 2025, Lubbock Christian was hit just 63 times, which ranked in the bottom half of the conference. The UT Dallas pitching staff is in the bottom half of the league in hit batters, having plunked just 24 opponents so far in 2026.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS
While the starting rotation shined against St. Mary’s, LCU’s bullpen had its share of ups and downs throughout the weekend. Only five relievers were used in the series, allowing seven earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. Isaiah Gonzalez was the highlight of the weekend, pitching three innings without an earned run allowed. He now has his season ERA down to 1.74. Dakota McCaskill also made an impact out of the pen, coming in and striking out both batters he faced in relief. Overall, LCU’s bullpen has allowed 58 earned runs in 41.2 innings of work.
FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA
LCU’s 22 newcomers on the 2026 roster come from all over the North American continent, with a whopping 16 (72 percent) hailing from outside of the Lone Star State. The largest contingent from outside of Texas come from Colorado (5), but they also have players from New Mexico, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Mexico and even Sitka, Alaska, which more than 3000 miles away from Lubbock.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
This is the second straight home weekend for the Chaps and games eight through 11 of 27 total home games Lubbock Christian will play this season at the recently renovated Hays Field, where they are currently 3-4. 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 field features brand new artificial turf, expanded dugouts and a new padded backstop this year and will have new grandstands in time for the 2027 season. The Chaparrals are 1,203-371 in home games all-time.
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 3,464 games throughout all those years, posting an overall program record of 2,320 wins and 1,144 losses in that time. For the last 20 seasons, it has been head coach Nathan Blackwood leading the program, and he has a 841-399 record.
SCOUTING THE COMETS
UTD ranks third in the Lone Star Conference with a team batting average of .316
Travis Graves is in his first season heading up the Comet program after previously serving as an assistant, and the UTD coaching staff also features former Texas Ranger Derek Holland as the team’s pitching coach
The only series loss UT Dallas has suffered this season came at St. Mary’s
UTD’s pitching staff has the fifth-best ERA in the league at 5.71, but their 83 strikeouts as a staff are the third-fewest
In their final season of Division III competition, the Comets posted a 32-6 overall record
THE SERIES WITH THE COMETS
This will be the first-ever meeting between Lubbock Christian and UT Dallas on the diamond.