In doing a deeper analytical dive into the baseball season of the 19th-ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors, it’s plainly obvious to see the things they do right, the things that haven’t worked thus far, and what it will take for them to get to the place they want to be when the NAIA World ­Series comes to Harris Field from May 22-29.

What do the Warriors (11-5, 6-2 NAIA West) do well? It’s the obvious things. More often than not, they do the things offensively that they need to in order to rack up victories while limiting the ­damage on the other side. What don’t they do well? In games they lose, it’s holding down the opposition while not being able to put runs on the board.

What does this all mean? It means they basically are a Jekyll-and-Hyde type of team. When LCSC does well, it really takes care of business. When it doesn’t … look out.

The Warriors will put these theories to the test as they open a four-game series with a doubleheader at noon Sunday at Harris Field against Oregon Tech (4-16, 0-4). The series originally was scheduled for doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, but the school late Thursday moved the schedule.

In order to succeed, a team must be able to win against right-handed pitching. The Warriors are doing that at a .750 clip (9-3). Teams also must be able to win close games. LCSC is 2-0 in games decided by one run. In games where offense rules the day, the Warriors are 8-1 when scoring six or more runs per game. And if LCSC scores 10 or more runs in a game, in which it has done four times, it is perfect.

When the defense is on top of its game, so is LCSC. The Warriors are 6-1 when they have committed no errors.

However, it progressively gets worse the more errors they make. LCSC is just 4-3 when it commits one error, 1-1 when it commits two or more errors.

When LCSC allowed six or more runs per game, it is 2-5. The Warriors have allowed 10 or more runs three times this season. They’ve allowed 10 or more in an inning twice. Under that scenario, LCSC is 0-3. When the Warriors don’t allow a home run, they are 8-1. However, when the opposing team hits at least one home run, LCSC is just 3-4.

When the Warriors hold opponents to five or less runs per game, they are 9-0. LCSC is just 5-3 when the margin of victory is five or more runs. The Warriors have allowed six or more runs seven times this season. They are 2-5 in that scenario.

When LCSC out-hits its opponent, it is 8-0. When the Warriors are either out-hit by the opposition or tied, they are a combined 3-5.

Scoring first and winning innings is something that teams want to do as far down as Little League. LCSC also is a perfect example of this axiom. When scoring first, the Warriors are 8-0. If the opposition scores first, LCSC is 3-5.

And as the innings get later, it’s pretty obvious which team is going to win. If the Warriors are up after six or seven innings, they are 9-0. When LCSC is ahead after the eighth inning, it is 10-0. However, if the opponent is up or the game is tied after the sixth, the Warriors are 2-5. When down after seven, LCSC is 2-4. If the Warriors are trailing after eight, they are 1-4.

After LCSC’s winter trip to start the season, when it played five games in California and Arizona and went 2-3, the offense was hitting at just a .216 clip. Since, the Warriors have gone 9-2 and are hitting .315 in that stretch.

Situationally, LCSC has improved in the past month. After the trip, it was hitting just .244 with runners on, .220 with runners in scoring position and had just four two-out RBI. Now, the Warriors are hitting .269 with runners on base, .281 with runners in scoring position and have 38 two-out RBI.

On the other side, the pitching has started to settle in as roles are becoming more defined. On the trip, only one starter had an ERA below 7.94 and the team’s ERA was 6.70. Now, two starters have an ERA below 5.20 and the team’s ERA is 4.56. As the Warriors returned home, the opposition was batting .255. Now, opponents are hitting just .238. LCSC was walking an average 6.49 batters and striking out 8.37 batters per game on the trip. Now, the Warriors are allowing just 4.75 walks per game and striking out 8.61.

So it’s pretty obvious what LCSC has to do in order to continue being successful and avoid having any kind of prolonged losing stretches as the season continues to march on.

Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, [email protected], or on Twitter at @waldo9939.