Baseball | 2/16/2015 5:31:00 PM

SAN MARCOS – Texas State will host an old Southland Conference rival in Sam Houston State at 6 p.m. Tuesday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
 
Game Info: Texas State (0-2-1) vs. Sam Houston State (2-1)
Site: Bobcat Ballpark – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 17
Time: Tuesday – 6 p.m.
 
Probable Pitching Matchups
TBA
 
The Series                                                                                                  
Texas State and Sam Houston State didn't meet during last season, but that is a rare occurrence. Both teams are used to each other as they have played to a 51-45 record with the edge going to Texas State. Head Coach Ty Harrington is an impressive 31-14 against the Bearkats, but SHSU has won the last four meetings. The last time these teams met, Sam Houston State survived, 10-9, on opening weekend of the 2013 season.
 
On the Bearkats
Sam Houston State prevailed, 2-1, in a three-game set with Wichita State on opening weekend. The Bearkats won the season opener, 8-5, dropped Saturday's game, 4-3, and rebounded with a 9-3 win over the Shockers on Sunday, a team the Bobcats will play next in Wichita, Kan.
 
The bats popped for Sam Houston State with Colt Atwood, brother of Texas State sophomore pitcher Quinn Atwood, knocking a team-high six hits. He and Jake MacWilliam finished the weekend hitting .500 while five others hit .300 or better. As a team, the Bearkats finished the weekend hitting .337 and knocked 34 hits, two home runs and 16 RBI.
 
Texas State's opposition on the mound likely hasn't been seen yet this season, but the SHSU pitching staff did post a 3.33 ERA with 30 strikeouts to just four walks over the weekend. The Shockers were able to hit nearly .300 though, finishing the weekend at .280.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State is looking to bounce back from a tough weekend against UC Davis. The Bobcats did show some life on offense with two Bobcats hitting home runs. Both Cedric Vallieres and Theodore Hoffman knocked their first career homers at Texas State. Both Vallieres and David Paiz led the team in hits with four each while Cory Geisler finished the weekend hitting .375. Freshman Jaylen Hubbard went 2-for-5 for a .400 average at the plate.
 
The Bobcat pitching staff struck out 18 batters, but walked 11 and hit 10 more. Geisler, however, did not give up an earned run in 5.1 innings of work on Sunday while both Lucas Humpal and Scott Grist were impressive in early showings. The three starters did not allow a batting average over .192.
 
A Look Ahead
After this week's midweek game, Texas State will travel to Kansas to face Wichita State for the team's first road series of the season. After that, the Bobcats will return home to host Houston in a midweek and Central Michigan over a four-game set next weekend.