San Marcos, Texas – Texas State will travel to El Paso, Texas to compete in the UTEP Invitational. Texas State will open the tournament against New Mexico State on Friday, Feb. 25 at 12:30 p.m. CT, and then play UTEP at 3 p.m. CT. On Saturday, Feb. 26 the Bobcats will play Bradley at 10:30 a.m. CT and New Mexico State at 3 p.m. CT. Texas State will close out the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 27 against North Dakota at 10 a.m. CT.
Texas State will play Bradley and North Dakota for the first time in school history. The Bobcats hold a 9-6 record against the rest of the tournament field.
Junior pitcher Chandler Hall boasts a 1.98 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched. She leads the pitching staff with 38 strikeouts in four complete games. Sophomore first baseman Haley Lemons is batting .343 with 12 hits and five RBIs to lead Texas State. As a team the Bobcats have tallied 58 hits and 19 RBIs with 24 runs scored.
Scouting the opponents…
Bradley opened the season 0-5, but has since gone 3-1 to improve to 3-6 overall. The Braves are on a two-game win streak with recent wins over Central Arkansas and North Florida. Bradley is led by Julie Sherman who is batting .455 with 10 hits and five runs scored. The Braves have had three different pitchers record a win this season with Madeline Lynch-Crumrine lead the staff with a 4.29 ERA.
New Mexico State went 4-2 at the Troy Cox Classic with its last victory coming over Southern Utah, 6-1, to wrap up the tournament. The Aggies are led by Kandis Jones who is batting .447 with a team-leading 17 hits and 16 runs. New Mexico State is batting .342 as a team with 15 homeruns. In the circle for the Aggies is Alex Newman who boasts a 4-0 record in 20.1 innings pitched.
North Dakota opened its season at the UNI Dome Classic where it went 1-3 with its only win coming over Green Bay. Kayelee Schoeny leads the Fighting Sioux with a batting average of .400. Michelle Frank is the only North Dakota pitcher with a win. She holds a 3.38 ERA with only a pair of strikeouts. As a team North Dakota is batting .232 with four homeruns.
UTEP is coming off a 6-3 loss to Houston Baptist. The Miners are led by Chelsea Troupe who is batting .429 with a team-leading eight runs scored. Kayleigh Walts leads UTEP with 11 RBIs and one homerun. UTEP is batting .313 as a team with five homeruns and 43 RBIs. The Miners have used a combination of pitchers so far this season with Courtney Auger leading the group with a pair of wins.
