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SAN MARCOS – Texas State and Valparaiso will square off for the first meeting between the two teams Wednesday. The Bobcats are amid a seven-game winning streak while Valparaiso has dropped three in a row, including a 7-1 loss Tuesday night to No. 17 Texas.

Game Info: Texas State (9-2) vs. Valparaiso (4-6)
Site: Bobcat Ballpark – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Wednesday, March 5
Time: 6:30 p.m.
 
Probable Pitching Matchups
Wednesday: #34 RHP Dylan Bein (0-1, 2.57) vs. #21 RHP Ellis Foreman (0-0, 13.50)
 
The Series
This will be the first meeting between Texas State and Valparaiso. However, Valpo starting pitcher Ellis Foreman is no stranger to the area as he hails from Round Rock and went to Stony Point High School. His teammate J.P. Paciocco is also from nearby. He went to Crockett High School in Austin. Both are freshmen. Foreman will be making his first start in the first meeting between the two teams.
 
On the Crusaders
Valparaiso is making it a tough road trip through Texas as the team already played No. 17 Texas Tuesday night. After the Bobcats on Wednesday, Valpo will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and stop in San Antonio for a single game against Incarnate Word Tuesday, March 11, before heading back home to Indiana.
 
Local product J.P. Paciocco actually leads the team in batting average but has only had four at-bats in nine games. He's played in three without a start. The team's most dangerous hitter is Spencer Mahoney who has a .371 batting average with 13 hits, 12 runs and five RBI. Chris Manning leads the team in RBI with 12 on three home runs, two doubles and 13 hits. He is batting .342, just behind Jeff Edwards at .368.
 
The Bobcat defense will have to be ready for what looks to be a good hitting team.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State pushed its winning streak to seven consecutive games with a three-game sweep of Wagner over the weekend. The Seahawks almost had a chance to beat the Bobcats, leading 7-5 in the bottom of the eighth, but Garrett Mattlage sent Wagner home scoreless when he sent a grand slam out of Bobcat Ballpark. He was facing two outs and two strikes but knocked the team's first grand slam of the season to win the game. After that, he was part of a double play to end the game in the top of the ninth.
 
Mattlage leads the team in RBI with 10, but Tanner Hill isn't far behind with nine in two less games played. Tyler Pearson and David Paiz lead the team I nhits with 12 apiece but Pearson is doing a little bit more damage. He is batting .364 with three home runs, a .667 slugging percentage and a .488 on-base percentage. Paiz, however, does have one more RBI (six for Paiz, five for Pearson).
 
Pearson is the only heavy contributor for the Texas State squad hitting above .300. Matt Smith is at .444 but only has nine at-bats in four games so far. No other Bobcat is batting more than Austin O'Neal's .294. That said, Texas State continues to keep its batting average higher than opponents (.249 to .246).
 
A Look Ahead
After Valparaiso, the Bobcats will make a quick turnaround to go to Washington State for games at 8 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (all times central). Upon returning to Texas, the Bobcats will host the Longhorns at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Texas State students, don't forget to pick up your tickets for the game on Friday.