TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball will take on Oklahoma Christian this week in a four game series that will take place from Thursday-Saturday beginning with a 7 p.m. first pitch on Thursday night.
 
Friday's doubleheader will also serve as UT Health East Texas Day and Saturday's contest will also be Military Appreciation Day.
 
STILL IN THE HUNT
 
The Patriots currently sit at fifth in the LSC standings with a record of 21-15 and are still in position to make the LSC postseason tournament. However, the top four teams in the standings will get the opportunity to host a first round matchup, and just ahead of UT Tyler lies Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Chaps are 25-11, and the Javelinas are 21-11. Each of the three programs have three series remaining, and the Patriots still have a good opportunity to move into a top four position.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Oklahoma Christian and UT Tyler have battled it out seven times over their program's histories, and all seven of those contests have come within the last two seasons. Additionally, all seven contests have been played in Edmond, Oklahoma.
 
The Eagles hold the all-time series lead at 4-3 after a three game sweep in last year's contests on April 17-18. In 2020, the Patriots took three out of four games, scoring double digit runs in all four contests.
 
THE SCOUTING REPORT
 
Oklahoma Christian currently sits just a couple of places lower than the Patriots in the LSC standings at number seven. They are 18-22 on the year in LSC competition and 18-23 overall. The Eagles are ranked in the top five in the LSC in shutouts, sacrifice bunts, home runs, and doubles. They are 11^th in the LSC in batting average at .272 and sixth in team ERA at 5.72.
 
Michael DiFiore leads the way for the Eagles at the plate, ranking 39^th in the LSC with a batting average of .321. DiFiore has 35 hits on the year, including 18 for extra bases. He has added 19 RBI's and has 65 total bases.
 
Will Rodman leads the way for the starters on the Oklahoma Christian staff. Rodman has an ERA of 5.37 on the year to rank 17^th among those who primarily start in the LSC. He has allowed 32 earned runs over 53.2 innings of work while striking out 34 hitters and walking just 14 hitters.
 
Lonny Cobble is the man who captains the ship for Oklahoma Christian baseball. Cobble began his tenure with the Eagles in 2012 and has amassed a record of 249-203 over his ten seasons. Prior to becoming the head coach at Oklahoma Christian, Cobble served as the head coach at Edmond Santa Fe High School for 19 seasons.
 
AROUND THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
 
West Texas A&M regained the top spot after a big 3-1 series win over Angelo State. That knocked the Rams back to the number two spot and they sit just ahead of Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Those four teams currently make up the four host sites for the first round of the LSC postseason tournament, and they are followed by UT Tyler, St. Edward's, Oklahoma Christian, and Eastern New Mexico.
 
The LSC tournament will see the 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5 seeds face off in a best of three series consisting of three nine inning games. The winners of those four series will then move on to the highest remaining seed for a double elimination tournament the following weekend.
 
ON THE HORIZON
 
Following this weekend's contest against Oklahoma Christian, the Patriots will head to Monticello, Arkansas for their only non-conference game of the season as they will take on Arkansas-Monticello on Tuesday, April 19 in a 3 p.m. contest.
 
Following the non-conference game, UT Tyler will head to San Antonio, Texas for a four game series against St. Mary's on April 22-24. That will be the final road series of the season for the Patriots.