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SAN MARCOS – Texas State and Georgia State will meet for the first time in their programs' histories in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series this weekend. Saturday's game, scheduled for 3 p.m., will be televised locally on KBVO, across the Southeast on CST and nationally on ESPN3.
 
Game Info: Texas State (19-17, 8-7 SBC) vs. Georgia State (17-20, 5-10 SBC)
Site: Bobcat Ballpark – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Friday-Sunday, April 18-20
Time: Friday – 6:30 p.m. | Saturday – 3 p.m. | Sunday – 1 p.m.
 
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: #31 RHP Austen Williams (3-1, 3.32) vs. #24 LHP Kenny Anderson (3-2, 6.00)
Saturday: #32 RHP Taylor Black (2-4, 3.25) vs. #20 RHP Nathan Bates (1-1, 5.01)
Sunday: #21 RHP Lucas Humpal (2-3, 3.95) vs. #12 LHP Tyler McClure (2-6, 7.09)
 
The Series                                                                                                  
Texas State and Georgia State have yet to meet in their existences. Coming into the first meeting between the two teams, Georgia State has lost two in a row while the Bobcats have dropped three consecutive. Texas State boasts one of the best pitching staffs in the Sun Belt Conference while Georgia State is one of the best offenses.
 
On the Panthers
Georgia State is one of the best offensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Three players have seven home runs or more while the team has knocked 41 on the season. Nic Wilson is second in the NCAA with 12 homers on the year and he is batting .356. Just in front of him is Chase Raffield, batting .357 with nine homers on the year. The duo has combined for 81 RBI. The team has 235 on the season. In total, seven Panthers are batting above .300 for the season with one at .295.
 
On the mound, however, Georgia State is a different story. The staff as a whole has a 5.77 ERA which they've been surviving on because the lineup has forced a 6.16 ERA from opposing staffs. This weekend's starters are a combined 5-9 on the season without an ERA lower than Nathan Bates' 5.01.
 
Georgia State has yet to record a shutout this season and, with 65 errors, has a .955 fielding percentage.
 
The Panthers have been up and down throughout the season, going 3-3 in the last six games but dropping three in a row before that and winning four before that. In their last conference series, the Panthers beat UT Arlington, 11-10, before dropping the Saturday and Sunday games, 6-3 and 6-4.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State has been struggling a bit, entering this series amid a three-game losing streak and dropping five of the last six. The Bobcats are looking to bounce back though and have shown signs of doing it. In two games in the last series Texas State put up 16 hits and scored 12 runs in each one then followed it up with 16 hits combined in the last two games.
 
If the bats continue to pop, the Bobcats should be in good shape if they can get the defense in check. Of the 77 runs Texas State has given up in conference play, only 52 of them have been earned due to 26 errors.
 
The third phase of the game, pitching, has been strong for Texas State with Austen Williams, Taylor Black and Lucas Humpal making up one of the best weekend pitching rotations in the SBC. Williams leads the group in ERA (2.78), in strikeouts (61) and wins (5). Black has the least amount of walks in the group with just 11 despite leading the team in innings pitched.
 
A Look Ahead
After Easter weekend, the Bobcats will play two games in the midweek, a home and home against Baylor. On Tuesday, the teams will meet up in Waco then Baylor will travel to San Marcos for a 6:35 p.m. Wednesday game to be televised on KBVO locally and ESPN3 nationally. Over the weekend the Bobcats will travel to face the highest ranked team in the Sun Belt, and the land, No. 1 UL Lafayette, for games at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.