LCU, back on track after '22, set to open season

After experiencing the rarity of back-to-back sub-.500 seasons in 2020 and 2021, the Lubbock Christian University baseball team rebounded to go 34-18 last year and finish third in the Lone Star Conference.

Even so, the season ended on a sour note with LCU losing its last four games, including an 0-2 showing in the conference tournament. The Chaparrals, when they open the season at home this weekend, will be aiming to do better than that.

"We had a good year last year," LCU coach Nathan Blackwood said, "but again, like I've mentioned before, we expected to be in a (NCAA) regional and weren't, so that's certainly motivation to get rolling again this year."

LCU hosts Cameron in a four-game Lone Star Conference series at 4 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday (doubleheader) and 1 p.m. Sunday at Hays Field. Just like the past three years, nearly the entire Chaps schedule — 48 games out of 50 — consists of conference games. Each of the 13 LSC teams plays a four-game series against the other 12.

Five of LCU's first six series are against conference opponents that finished with losing records last year. The implication: The Chaps can — and need — to start fast, because bigger challenges could stack up in March and April.

"There's no easy games in this league. There's no easy opponents in this league," Blackwood said, "but it certainly does seem like maybe our first few weeks are maybe a little lesser opponents than some of the guys we're going to face down the road."

LCU is picked fourth in the preseason poll of LSC coaches, sports information directors and media. The Chaps have had to do quite a bit of retooling, however. They lost five position players who started more than 40 games apiece last year, including first-team all-conference honorees Larry Leitha and Mason Donohoe and second-team all-conference selections Luis Navarro and George Mendazona.

The only starting pitcher back, senior righthander Tyler Hardwick, is limited to bullpen innings at the start of the season while he works back from a shoulder injury.

Blackwood said he's optimistic about the lineup, fortified by a number of junior-college transfers coming off good seasons.

"I think our strengths are going to be the potential to put together a pretty good lineup," Blackwood said. "We should be able to score some runs. The not necessarily a weakness, but unknown at this point is our pitching, because we have zero rotation arms starting this weekend from last year.

"So you never really know for sure what you're going to get on the mound until game time occurs, and that's a scary thought starting off in conference. You still don't know how to use your bullpen correctly sometimes, and then four new starters that haven't pitched in this league yet."

The returning starters are versatile Eduardo Acosta, who hit a team-high .398 with seven home runs and 41 runs batted in; catcher Jarred Gibson (.324-6-46), shortstop Carson Ogilvie (.333-6-25) and second baseman Caden Hensley (.297-4-23). Acosta, the regular left fielder last year, is ticketed for third base this season.

In the outfield, the Chaps plan to roll out Hayden Blair in left, Chris Shull in center and Jacob Gutierrez in right. Blair slashed .356/.436/.569 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and 15 stolen bases for Hill College.

Shull is a graduate of San Antonio MacArthur, the same high school as former Texas Tech all-Americans Josh and Jace Jung. Last year at Western Texas College, Shull slashed .360/.442/.715 with 10 homers and 56 RBI.

"He's got the potential to be one or our top hitters, both for average and power," Blackwood said. "He's a really dynamic player that can really run and play good defense in the outfield. He's been a really big pickup for us."

Gutierrez is a Frenship graduate who spent his first two seasons at Division I New Mexico, batting .296 in 13 games as a true freshman and redshirting last season.

The Chaps also imported juco help on the infield. First baseman Nate Van Maanen slashed .374/.422/.562 last year at Odessa College with six homers and 60 RBI.

"He's a left-handed hitter that can really use the whole field," Blackwood said. "He's just a pure hitter that can also swing for some power."

Second baseman Ryan Ball batted leadoff last season for Central Arizona, which went 60-13 and won the NJCAA championship. Ball slashed .319/.459/.583 with 16 homers and 50 RBI. He transferred to LCU after spending fall practice with Texas Tech.

"He's a good left-handed hitter," Blackwood said. "He's either going to be at second or third or DH."

Acosta and Ball are expected to occupy the top two spots in the order with Shull, Van Maanen, Gibson and Gutierrez in the third through sixth spots. Gibson suffered a partial medial collateral ligament tear lifting weights over the Christmas break and, though he's close to recovered, he'll be the Chaps' designated hitter early.

Blair, catcher Bo Hogeboom and Ogilvie will be in the bottom third of the order to start the season, Blackwood said.

"We definitely have a lot of new guys," Blackwood said. "And probably to take up the bulk of the middle of the order, RBI slots, are new guys."

On top of Hardwick's coming back from injury, the Chaps' pitching staff was hurt by the graduation of starters Ty Stephenson and Shandon Herrera and and two transfers out: Ethan Coombes to Texas Tech and Peyton Hutson to Tarleton State. Coombes, 7-4 with a 5.05 earned-run average last season, led the Chaps in wins, complete games (six), innings (75 1/3), strikeouts (85) and opponent batting average (.226).

LCU will open the season with a starting rotation of four new transfers: Aydan Alger from Mesa (Ariz.) College, Marcos Escalera from Vernon College, Coleson Abel from Texas Tech and Andrew Duran from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Alger and Abel are lefthanders.

Alger was 0-3 with a 6.49 ERA last season at Mesa, and Escalera went 3-6 in 12 starts at Vernon.

"He's got our best velocity," Blackwood said of Escalera. "When he's on, he's pretty tough to hit. He's had a little bit of inconsistency at times, but I think he's starting to figure some things out."

Duran, from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, went 8-1 two years ago at Lamar (Colo.) Community College and 1-8 last season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Chaps expect a boost from Abel, in the rotation as a closer or both. The Texas Tech transfer struck out 113 in 59 innings as a high-school senior at Kerrville Tivy.

The returning relievers include Logan Ellis (1-0, 7.30 in 10 appearances) and Koi Carrillo (0-0, 5.73 in eight appearances).

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: LCU, back on track after '22, set to open baseball season