CANYON, Texas – The Buffaloes of West Texas A&M hit the road for Lone Star Conference action this weekend as they head down I-27 for a four-game Rivalry on the Range series with the Lubbock Christian Chaps beginning on Friday night with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. at Hays Field.
A LOOK AT THE CHAPS
Lubbock Christian enters the weekend with an overall record of 24-18 with a 22-18 mark in Lone Star Conference action following a series split with the St. Edward's Hilltoppers last weekend in Austin. LCU took the first two games of the series (12-6, 10-1) before falling in the final two games by a combined score of 14-9. The Chaps are 13-9 so far this season at Hays Field.
Eduardo Acosta leads the way offensively for the Chaps as the senior infielder from San German, Puerto Rico is hitting .423 on the season with 11 doubles, two triples and six homeruns to drive in 47 RBI for a slugging percentage of .635 to go along with 27 walks and 17 strikeouts for an on-base clip of .511. Potential game two starter Ryan Markwardt leads the way on the mound as the junior lefty from Itasca, Texas is 5-4 on the year with a 4.68 ERA as he has allowed 38 runs (31 earned) on 66 hits with 22 walks and 48 strikeouts in his 59.2 innings of work for an opposing batting average of .296.
LCU HEAD COACH NATHAN BLACKWOOD
Nathan Blackwood is now in his 20th season at the helm of the Lubbock Christian baseball program, holding an overall record of 746-346 (.683) during his time in Lubbock. Blackwood is the program's all-time wins leader, passing legendary LCU head coach Larry Hays last spring. The Chaps have made three appearances in the NCAA Division II Postseason (2016, 2017, 2019) while also appearing in four NAIA World Series under Blackwood highlighted by a 2009 NAIA National Championship. The Lubbock native was a two-year letter winner on the diamond for the Chaps in 1991 and 1992.
SERIES HISTORY
The Chaps lead the all-time series against the Buffaloes, 43-21 in a series that dates back to the 1994 campaign. The two teams split their Lone Star Conference series in Canyon last season. The Buffs are 18-21 all-time at Hays Field as they have won their last three games in Lubbock.
WT HEAD COACH MATT VANDERBURG
Matt Vanderburg has built West Texas A&M Baseball into a regional and national contender as the Norman, Oklahoma native enters his 15th season at the helm of the Buffs. He holds an overall record of 476-261 (.647) during his time in Canyon while registering a career record of 575-332 (.635) in his 18 seasons in collegiate baseball.
THE COACHING STAFF
Cory Hall is now in his 13th year at West Texas A&M as the Buffs' Pitching Coach, serving the last seven as the program's Associate Head Coach. Hall has had four different pitchers drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft during his time in Canyon with multiple other professional players learning under one of the top pitching minds in collegiate baseball. Assistant Coach
Shawn Neale was named WT's Recruiting Coordinator in 2022 as the Toronto native returns for his seventh season in Canyon.
2023 LSC PRESEASON POLL
Defending South Central Regional Champion Angelo State picked up 23 of the possible 32 first place votes to sit atop of the poll with 407 points followed by WT (eight first place, 388), Texas A&M-Kingsville (one first place, 315), Lubbock Christian (298), St. Edward's (296), UT Tyler (291), Oklahoma Christian (206), St. Mary's (203), Texas A&M International (160), UAFS (131), Eastern New Mexico (88), Cameron (82) and UT Permian Basin (47).
Adam Becker from West Texas A&M claimed Preseason Player of the Year accolades while Wesley Gafford from St. Edward's was named the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
THIS IS LSC BASEBALL
The LSC Championship will feature a two-week tournament comprised of the top eight teams with the opening round at on-campus sites May 5-7. The winners of each opening round series will advance to a double-elimination tournament played May 11-13.
LSC DIGITAL NETWORK
The LSC Digital Network is in its fourth season showcasing the academic and athletic events of the league and its 18 member institutions. Volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball broadcasts will be available via conference-wide pay-per-view passes.
The LSC Digital Network will offer season passes for football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball, giving fans access to all regular-season contests for that sport. In addition, viewers will continue to have the option to purchase a $10 day pass that provides access to all broadcasts aired that day and access to all archived content for 24 hours.
