Softball | 4/15/2016 5:10:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Another road trip is on the horizon for the Texas State softball team as the Bobcats travel to Troy, Ala. to take on the Trojans of Troy. The Bobcats and the Trojans will compete in three games starting with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Texas State is coming off of a 4-0 shutout victory over Lamar at home last Wednesday evening which improved the Bobcats to 25-15 overall. The Bobcats stormed out of the gates with three runs in the first and one in the second to take the early lead over the visiting Cardinals. The victory over Lamar came after a weeklong break from action.
 
Senior second baseman Kelli Baker continues to lead Texas State at the plate. Baker owns a team-leading .317 batting average with 40 hits, seven doubles, and 56 total bases. At one strikeout for every 12.6 at bats, Baker is one of the hardest Bobcats to be retired at the plate.
 
With 99 RBIs, Kendall Wiley is just one RBI shy of becoming the fifth player in school history of eclipsing at least 100 RBIs. She currently has 17 this season.
 
Against Lamar, sophomore pitcher Randi Rupp teamed up with junior pitcher Quincy Charleston for the team's 12^th shutout of the season. Rupp pitched five innings for Texas State while striking out 10. Now with 503 career strikeouts, Rupp needed only seven to become the fourth pitcher in school history to reach the milestone.
 
The Bobcat pitching staff has a collective ERA of 2.21 coming into the weekend series and 292 strikeouts. The 2.21 ERA ranks Texas State 21^st in the nation in that category. The Bobcats are also 21^st in fielding percentage in the NCAA and second in the conference at a mark of .972.
 
In conference play, Texas State is 4-8 and in a tie for sixth overall with UT Arlington and Georgia State. The Panthers took two of three from the Bobcats and the Mavericks are still to be played on the schedule.
 
Head coach Ricci Woodard is currently in her 16^th season at the helm of the Bobcats. With a 541-355-1 overall record, Woodard will be coaching in her 900^th game at Texas State on Sunday.
 
A Look At The Competition – Troy
The Trojans come into the weekend match-up with a matching 25-15 overall record but are currently sitting at 6-6 in conference play. Troy is sitting in fourth overall behind first place UL Lafayette, second place South Alabama and third place Georgia Southern.
 
Overall, Kate Benton leads the squad with a .432 batting average and she is one of four players to have started in all 40 games. She leads the team with 57 hits and is 30-for-33 in stolen bases.
 
On Thursday evening, Troy's Hannah Day was one of three Sun Belt student-athletes to be drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch league. Day leads the Trojans with 15 home runs this season and is second on the team with a .346 batting average. In conference play, Day is hitting at a clip of .463 with seven home runs.
 
The Troy pitching staff has three pitchers with significant playing time. Ashley Rainey leads the team in innings pitched at 105.0, but Claire Graves leads the team in ERA with a mark of 3.74. The Trojans have thrown 112 strikeouts this season, but allowed their opponents to hit .304.
 
Beth Mullins is the head coach of the Trojans and she is currently in her second year at the helm. In 2015, she was named the Sun Belt Co-Coach of the Year.
 
The Trojans and the Bobcats have faced off seven times and Texas State holds the 4-3 advantage. The Bobcats won the last meeting between the schools on April 12, 2015 by a 4-3 margin.
 
Final Details
First pitch against the Trojans is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats and Trojans will play in a doubleheader on Saturday with a single game planned for Sunday scheduled to start at 12 p.m. Live stats will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.