Lubbock Christian University Men's Baseball

Throughout its history, the Lubbock Christian University baseball program has retained its status among the nation’s top NAIA powers and transitioning to be one of the top programs at the NCAA Div. II level. Much of that success over the past two decades has been due to the leadership of head coach Nathan Blackwood and his desire to maintain the traditions and alumni relations of LCU baseball.   The Lubbock native and Chaparral alumnus is not only the longest-tenured coach in LCU program history, in 2022 surpassed College Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Hays for the most wins. His all-time record of 802-367 (.692) ranks in the top 20 among active Division II Coaches. Blackwood’s 21st season at the helm was LCU’s most successful since they transitioned to the NCAA Division II level. The Chaps finished 45-16 overall and went 35-16 in LSC play, winning the regular season title and then winning the LSC Tournament on their home field. LCU earned the No. 1 seed in the South Central Region and hosted a regional for the first time in the NCAA. They won, advancing to the Super-Regional for the first time ever and fell just one game short of advancing to the NCAA Division II World Series.   The Chaps finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation. Blackwood and his assistants were named the LSC Coaching Staff of the Year, and seven LCU players earned All-Conference honors. Five players were also honored on All-Region teams, and four of those were recognized on All-American Teams. Carson Ogilvie and Brevin McCool were named Second Team All-Americans. 2023 saw the Chaps go 35-23 and reach another South Central Regional Tournament. LCU had two players named to ABCA All-American Teams; Carson Ogilvie was named to the first team and Eduardo Acosta was named to the second team. The Chaps reached the Championship of the LSC tournament, falling 14-4 to Angelo State. Seven Chaps were named to LSC All-Conference Teams; Eduardo Acosta and Carson Ogilvie were named to the first team, Chris Shull was second team, Ayden Alger, Brevin McCool, and Nate Van Mannen were picked to the third team, and Caden Hensley was a member of the All-Defensive Team.  In 2022, Blackwood became the all-time wins leader in LCU baseball history, as the Chaps walked-off St. Mary's 11-10 on Feb. 19 for his 696th win as head coach of the Chaparrals. Blackwood then eclipsed yet another milestone, winning his 700th game on Mar. 4 in a 9-8 come-from-behind win over no. 17 Angelo State. LCU finished the 2022 baseball season 34-18 overall and 32-18 in the Lone Star Conference, finishing the regular season third in the conference standings. The Chaps had seven players named to the LSC All-Conference Teams; Mason Donohoe and Larry Leitha were named to the All-Conference First Team, and LCU had four representatives on the league's Second Team, with George Mendazona, Eduardo Acosta, Luis Navarro and Ethan Coombes all recognized. The final honoree was Shandon Herrera, who earned the LSC's All-Defensive Team award for the pitcher position. Donohoe was also named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Region Second Team, and was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association All-South Central Region Second Team. Acosta and Navarro were also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region Team   Blackwood’s steady leadership has been crucial the last two seasons, as the Chaps began a new era by moving into the Lone Star Conference starting with the 2020 season and fought their way through all of the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.   LCU’s first foray into LSC play didn’t go quite as planned, with a 7-17 record when the virus outbreak ended the season prematurely, but they improved drastically for the 2021 season. Picked eighth in the 2021 LSC Preseason Poll, the Chaparrals ended the regular season in sixth, but they weren’t done there. A miraculous comeback led LCU to an upset of Texas A&M-Kingsville in the opening round of the LSC Tournament, and the Chaps played their way into the championship game before the 2021 season came to an end. Catcher Luis Navarro and center fielder Larry Leitha were All-Region selections, and Navarro was further honored as an ABCA All-America pick.   Prior to the move to the Lone Star Conference, Lubbock Christian got their first taste of NCAA Division II play in the Heartland Conference. LCU departed the NAIA and played their first season of NCAA D-II baseball in 2014, finishing atop the league standings, although they were not officially allowed to claim the conference title as provisional members. The Chaps claimed two other Heartland Conference championships over their next five seasons in the league, posting an overall record of 206-107 (.660) and a 108-46 (.701) record in league play. In 2016, the Chaparrals dropped their provisional status as members of the NCAA and became postseason eligible. They qualified for the NCAA South Central Regional that first season and did so in 2017 and 2019 as well.   The 2019 season was one of LCU’s best as a part of the NCAA. It featured a 35-17 overall record, including a 16-5 showing in Heartland Conference play, which was good enough to earn the Chaps their third league title. Lubbock Christian also reached the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament for the third time in just their fourth year of eligibility. The season was capped off with four Chap players taken in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft, matching a program-record.   The 2018 season saw a career milestone hit for Blackwood, as he earned his 600th win as a collegiate head coach – all with Lubbock Christian. The Chaps came close to repeating as Heartland Conference, finishing just one game out of first place with a 17-11 record. LCU still ended up playing on championship Saturday in the Heartland Conference Tournament but was unable to top St. Edward’s.   Blackwood’s second Heartland Conference regular season title came in 2017, as the Chaps when 19-5 in Heartland play, reaching the South Central Regional again and finishing the year with a 38-16 overall record. LCU’s 2017 team was recognized with 13 All-Region accolades and the program’s first Division II Rawlings Gold Glove Award, given to catcher Chase Simmons.   During their NAIA run, Lubbock Christian University made four trips to the NAIA World Series under Blackwood’s guidance.  In their final NAIA season (2013), LCU qualified for the NAIA postseason and made their fifth consecutive NAIA Opening Round series of the NAIA National Championships after winning their first SAC Tournament Championship since 2009. Included in the mix for the 2013 season was a 6-5 win over Texas Tech University on April 14.   The 2012 season was a tough one for the Chaps, as they went 31-26 overall and 18-12 in conference, but they made a nice late season run. They upset ranked Oklahoma City University (tournament host) to finish as a runner-up in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, which earned them a spot in their fourth NAIA Opening Round tournament.   2011 was a memorable year for the Chaps.  After a three-year span of claiming the SAC regular season title, the Chaps had to fight to continue a three-year consecutive streak of qualifying for the NAIA World Series.  After a third-place finish in the SAC regular season, the Chaps qualified for the NAIA Opening Round Series.  LCU hosted the opening round tournament for a third consecutive season, and for the third straight year, the Chaps won the tournament and qualified for the World Series.  The Chaps nearly had a fairy tale ending to the season, but would end up falling to Concordia (Calif.) in the championship game and they finished as NAIA World Series Runner-Up.  They finished 50-14 overall (21-9 in the SAC).   In 2010, LCU made a trip to the World Series after posting a 24-5 record in SAC play to claim their third consecutive regular season conference title.  The Chaps went 46-16 during the regular season and led the NAIA with a .371 batting average.  Blackwood claimed Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and ABCA Regional Coach of the Year honors.  The conference honor for Blackwood was his fourth over a seven year span.   The Chaps had a remarkable season in 2009 claiming the second National Championship in school history (first one since 1983) while amassing a 52-8 overall record.  They claimed their third Sooner Athletic Conference title under Blackwood’s guidance and were ranked No. 1 in the final national poll for the second consecutive year.  He was named the 2009 National Coach of the Year and the SAC Coach of the Year.   The Chaps had a remarkable season in 2008 with a 53-4 final record, which was the lowest single-season loss total in Lubbock Christian history. They claimed their second Sooner Athletic Conference title under Blackwood’s tenure and were ranked No. 1 in the final regular season NAIA Top 25 Poll. It was the first time the Chaps had received the No. 1 ranking since 1985.   In only his third year at the helm of the Lubbock Christian University baseball team, Blackwood enjoyed a level of success few coaches ever get the opportunity to experience. In 2006, LCU completed (at the time) the third most successful season in school history as the Chaps won the NAIA Region VI title for the first time and then proceeded to win the NAIA Mid-South Super-Regional and advance to the NAIA World Series, where they finished third. On the year, LCU finished 50-17 to post back-to-back 50 win seasons and ended the regular season ranked No.6 in the nation.   In 2005, the Chaps completed a 17 game turnaround as they posted a 53-15 record, won their fourth Sooner Athletic Conference title, and advanced to the NAIA Region VI championship game. The marked turnaround demonstrated Coach Blackwood’s ability to adjust quickly and was impressive enough to earn him both Sooner Athletic Conference and NAIA Region VI Coach of the Year Honors.   A native of Lubbock, Texas, Blackwood attended Lubbock Christian Schools where he played football, basketball, and baseball for the Eagles in the late 1980s. Following graduation, Blackwood moved across the street to Lubbock Christian University where he played baseball in 1991 and 1992, and he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies upon graduation in 1995.   After finishing up his undergraduate work, Blackwood held several different coaching positions around West Texas including stints in Ralls and Haskell. In 1998, he secured a job as the Assistant Baseball Coach at Harding University.  While at Harding, Blackwood played an integral role in turning around the Bison program, and he also found time to attend class. In 2000, Blackwood received his Master’s of Education Degree in Exercise Science, allowing him to return to LCU later that year as the Interim Chair of the Kinesiology Department until taking over the head coaching position for the Chaps in the summer of 2003.   Despite all of his talents and accomplishments, Blackwood’s crowning achievements are his marriage to the former Kim Lindsey (LCU alumnus) in 1995 and his two children, Brennan and Lindsey. BLACKWOOD'S ALL-TIME RESULTS Year Overall Record 2004 36-28 2005 53-15 2006 50-17 2007 37-17 2008 53-4 2009 52-8 2010 46-16 2011 50-14 2012 31-26 2013 44-17 2014 39-10 2015 23-25 2016 37-19 2017 38-16 2018 34-20 2019 35-17 2020 7-17 2021 23-24 2022  34-18 2023 35-23

Jermaine Van Buren enters his fifth season as the pitching coach for the Chaparrals. Last season Van Buren saw two of his pitchers earn All-LSC honors, with Chris Shull earning Second-Team honors and Ayden Alger being named to the Third-Team. Shull made an impact on the mound and at the plate for the Chaps. He posted a 4.34 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP in 18.2 innings pitched. Shull held opponents to a .278 batting average in eight appearances. Alger posted a 5.40 ERA in 85 innings of work. He had a 8-2 record in 15 starts. As a pitching staff, LCU posted a 7.09 ERA with a .307 opponent batting average.  In 2022 with the Chaps, Van Buren saw two of his pitchers earn All-LSC honors, with Ethan Coombes earning Second-Team honors and Shandon Herrera earning All-Defensive Team accolades. Coombes led the Chap pitching staff with 71.1 innings pitched and 85 strikeouts. He finished with a 5.05 ERA and a 7-4 record, mainly pitching in a starting role. Opponents hit just .226 against him, which finished tied for the second-best in the conference. Coombes also threw six complete games,tied for the conference lead. Herrera was LCU's only honoree on the All-Defensive Team. The senior was perfect fielding his position, handling 16 chances without an error, with five putouts and 11 assists. On the mound, Herrera finished with a 6.56 ERA in 59.0 innings of work. During the 2022 season, Van Buren's pitching staff finished with a 6.14 ERA, the sixth-best in the conference. The Chaps finished with six shutouts, tied for the most in the conference and 13th most in all of Division-II. LCU arms allowed a batting average of just .284, and were the only team in the Lone Star Conference to not record a balk in the entire season.  Van Buren's staff vastly improved in 2021 with a full season, recording 379 strikeouts, the fourth-most in the conference, as opponents batted just .283 against the Chaps. Cade Acrey finished the season with an ERA of 3.00, the fifth-lowest in the LSC, holding his foes to a batting average of .259. Meanwhile, Armando Valle painted the strike zone, finishing with 24 batters struckout looking, the second best mark in the conference. In his first season with the Chaps, Van Buren's team only played 24 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic ending the season early. The Chaps went just 7-17, but Ty Stephenson finished the shortened campaign tied for fifth in the LSC in strikeouts with 42 over 44.1 innings.   Van Buren came to LCU after a two-year stint as the pitching coach at the New Mexico Military Institute after being hired there in September of 2017. In 2019, the Broncos pitching staff racked up 410.1 innings on the mound, allowing just 235 earned runs and averaging 8.82 strikeouts per nine innings.   "Jermaine will be a tremendous asset to this program with his enthusiasm, positive energy, competitiveness and passion for the game of baseball that is evident to anyone who knows Coach Van Buren," Blackwood said.    A native of Mississippi, Van Buren has been in Amarillo more recently as the head pitching instructor at the Amarillo Baseball Academy, helping to build one of the top select baseball programs in the country. In more than seven years with the program, ABA has sent at least 200 kids into collegiate baseball programs. His family includes wife Tiffany and four children – Jermaine (20), Jaden (17), Lara (11) and Karis (3).   Van Buren also has extensive professional baseball experience, spending 12 years in the professional ranks, including two pitching for major league baseball teams. Van Buren was selected in the second round of the Major League baseball draft out of high school in 1998. He made his major league debut in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs and pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2006, appearing in 16 big league games overall. Van Buren was also very successful in the minor league ranks, leading the league and setting a team record for saves while pitching for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. He won a Pacific Coast League title in 2007 with the Sacramento River Cats and was named to All-Star teams at various levels in 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009.   "His experience in professional baseball under several well-known successful pitching coaches, and his connections and experience in college baseball recruiting were two of the items that stood out the most to me in the hiring process" Blackwood added. "But more importantly, we are excited about his passion to teach and model life skills that support the mission of Lubbock Christian University."

Brandon Walker enters his second season as the Chap hitting coach. Last year LCU posted a .337 team batting average and a .975 OPS. As a team the Chaps hit 80 home runs and drove in 461 runs. LCU had two ABCA All-Americans with Carson Ogilvie being named to the First-Team and Eduardo Acosta making the Second-Team. Ogilivie led the nation in runs scored and hit .404 on the season. Acosta led the Chaps in batting average, hitting .434 with nine homers and 68 RBIs.  Walker is a Lubbock, Texas native that was a product of Frenship High School prior to playing at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas from 2013-2016. A career .298 hitter at HSU, Walker claimed All-Conference First Team honors in 2014 after hitting .344 with a conference-leading 40 RBI. After completing a degree in Exercise Sports Science, Walker served as an assistant coach at Lubbock High School. Walker hit the collegiate coaching ranks in 2018, serving as an assistant coach at Trinidad State (Colo.). The Trojans completed a 47-12 season and held a No.10 NJCAA national ranking during Walker’s time there. He most previously served as the head coach at Lubbock Christian High School from 2019 - 2022. The Eagles completed a trio of playoff appearances (2020 season did not have a postseason due to COVID), including a trip to the TAPPS State Tournament in 2019 (Eagles were state semifinalist). Walker claimed District Coach of the Year accolades in 2019.