Game Notes

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team hits the road once again for the final tournament of the 2014 regular season this upcoming weekend. After taking a week off of action due to inclement weather during the mid-week, the Bobcats will travel to Gulfport, Miss. for the Gulf Coast Classic February 28-March 2.
 
Texas State is scheduled to play five games in the three-day span, starting with a single game on February 28 against Memphis. The Bobcats will then play two games on Saturday against Ohio and No. 12 Baylor and wrap up the tournament on Sunday with a pair of games against former Southland foe Nicholls State and Mississippi State.
 
A Look At The Competition
Memphis
Texas State opens the Gulf Coast Classic against the Memphis Tigers for the first all-time meeting in program history.
 
Three Tigers earned all-tournament honors for their performances last weekend. Pitcher Ellen Roberts finished the Blues City Classic with a perfect 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA in 11 innings pitched. She leads the team in wins with four, and ERA of just 1.68, strikeouts with 34, and complete games with five this season.
 
The Tigers have started the 2014 regular season with a 7-5 overall record and come into the tournament on a four-game winning streak.
 
Ohio
The Ohio softball team enters the Gulf Coast Classic with a 12-1 overall record, most recently finishing with a 4-1 record at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
Lauren McClary has been dominate on the mound for the Bobcats as she earned her fifth Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week award after going 2-0 with a save, fanning 16 over 14.2 innings of work while surrendering just two earned runs on 11 hits and two walks last weekend.
 
McClary's award came a week after Dorsey was named MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week. Dorsey is 9-1 in 11 appearances and five starts in 2014. She has tossed five complete games, striking out 66 over 57.1 innings.
 
The Bobcats put together yet another big weekend at the plate, recording at least 11 hits in four of its five games at the Frost Classic. Every starter recorded a hit against Northwestern State as the Bobcats pounded out 11 base knocks.
 
No. 12 Baylor
Off to a 12-3 start, the No. 12 Baylor Bears will open the Gulf Coast Classic against No. 25 UL-Lafayette before playing Mississippi State, who is receiving votes in the polls. The Bears will then take on Texas State in their first game on Saturday before taking on its third Sun Belt Conference opponent in South Alabama in the night cap.
 
The Bears are 3-1 this season against the top-25 including a victory against California, a team whom the Bobcats defeated earlier this season.
 
Baylor's success in 2014 thus far can be attributed both to its offense and defense. The Bears are hitting .327 as a team, while carrying a Big 12-best 1.37 team ERA.
 
Nicholls State
Nicholls State enters the Gulf Coast Classic with a 5-11 overall record and 4-7 mark at a neutral site.
 
Only three players have started and played in 16 games for the Coloniels in Brittany Marcet, Taylor Terrio, and Brooke Morris. Marcet leads the team with 18 hits and a .717 slugging percentage. She has also hit a team-high four home runs this season.
 
Jackie Johnson is Nicholls State's top pitcher this year, putting in a team-high 51.0 innings of work while owning a 2.82 ERA with 50 strikeouts. She has a 3-6 record and allows her opposing hitters to average just .214 against her.
 
Mississippi State
The undefeated Bulldogs of Mississippi State enter the tournament receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. With a 14-0 record, the Bulldogs are off to the second-best start in program history. The only Mississippi State team to begin with a better record was the squad in 2006 that started the season 16-0.
 
Pitching has been the backbone of the strong start as the team has surrendered just seven runs in the initial 14 contests, the fewest in program history.
 
In the batter's box, senior Sam Lenahan helped the offense last week, posting a .444 batting average with nine runs batted in, four runs scored, three home runs and a 1.444 slugging percentage.
 
Bobcat Tidbits
After having Wednesday's contest cancelled due to weather, the Bobcats travel to Gulfport, Miss. on a week's rest after competing at the Texas Shootout hosted by North Texas. The Bobcats finished the weekend with a 3-2 record, picking up victories over Prairie View A&M, Abilene Christian, and Sam Houston State while falling to North Texas twice.
 
Against Prairie View A&M, senior pitcher Rayn House had a career-afternoon on the mound, producing a career-high 15 strikeouts while giving up just one walk and three hits. She leads the Bobcats with an 8-3 overall record heading into the weekend.
 
The 11-5 start for Texas State is the best start in the last 10 years, dating back to the 2004 season.
 
Kendall Wiley leads the team offensively, producing a .375 batting average with a team-high three home runs, 13 RBI's, and 18 hits.
 
After competing at the Gulf Coast Classic, Texas State will return to San Marcos to play host to Texas A&M on March 5. That game begins a string of five-straight home dates that ends on March 16 as Texas State welcomes UL-Monroe for the first conference series of the year.
 
Final Details
First pitch against the Memphis Tigers is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Friday. Texas State will have a little bit of a break on Saturday as its games are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. against Ohio and No. 12 Baylor. On Sunday, the Bobcats begin at 9:30 a.m. against Nicholls and wrap up the day at 1 p.m. against Mississippi State. Live stats will be available at txstatebobcats.com.