Softball | 4/29/2016 8:00:00 AM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team travels to Appalachian State this weekend for its second-to-last conference series of the regular season. The schedule for the weekend has changed and now the Bobcats and Mountaineers will first play Friday evening. First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. Game times for Saturday and Sunday are to be determined based on the weather.
 
Series Info: Texas State at Appalachian State
Site: Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium - Boone, N.C.
Dates: Friday, April 29 – Sunday, May 1
Time: Friday – 6 p.m. | Saturday/Sunday - TBD
 
The Series
Texas State and Appalachian State have competed in one weekend series in program history after Appalachian State made its debut in the Sun Belt Conference in 2015. Last season, the Bobcats swept the Mountaineers in the Bobcat Softball Stadium giving Texas State a perfect 3-0 record over Appalachian State.
 
A Look At The Competition – Appalachian State:
Sitting in ninth place in the SBC, Appalachian State enters Saturday's doubleheader 9-40 with a 2-19 record in conference play. The Mountaineers have earned wins over Canisius, Rider, Marshall, Campbell, UL Monroe and UT Arlington. Appalachian State is coming off of a series loss to No. 8 UL Lafayette and is riding a seven-game losing streak.
 
At the plate, the Mountaineers carry a .257 batting average. Cara Parker leads the team with a .348 batting average, 47 hits, 11 doubles and 10 home runs. The junior also leads the squad with a .652 slugging percentage and 88 total bases. Following Parker is freshman Natalie Orcutt, who posts a .333 batting average.
 
The Appalachian State lineup has launched 42 home runs this season and has only stolen 10 bases.
 
In the circle, Vanessa Ciocatto and Annaleise Kennedy have combined for 108 strikeouts this season. Ciocatto leads the staff with a 5.58 ERA and has earned seven of the Mountaineers wins (7-18) in 133 innings. Collectively, the staff has a 7.82 ERA and 149 strikeouts.
 
Head coach Janice Savage is in her second season at the helm for the Mountaineers.
 
Bobcat Tidbits
Coming off of a 6-3 loss to No. 18 Texas A&M Wednesday evening, the Bobcats enter Saturday's contest 30-18 overall and 9-9 in SBC play. Prior to the game against Texas A&M, the Bobcats swept the South Alabama Jaguars to even out their conference record and improve their series record over the Jaguars to 5-1.
 
Taylor Webb continues to lead the Bobcat offense with a .293 batting average. Senior Kelli Baker has a team-leading 44 hits and three triples. Against Texas A&M, Kimberlin Naivar reached base four times via two singles and two walks. Naivar also recorded two RBIs in the bottom of the second. Jaelyn Young and Bianca Prado also recorded two hits in the contest.
 
With a 22-10 record, sophomore Randi Rupp leads the staff with 266 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched. Following the loss against A&M, Quincy Charleston leads the staff with a 1.52 ERA. Collectively the Bobcats carry a 2.06 ERA and 355 total strikeouts.
 
This week, Randi Rupp was named the ESPNW Softball Player of the Week following her performance against South Alabama. Rupp recorded 29 strikeouts with a 0.28 ERA in 24.2 innings of work while only surrendering 11 hits.
 
Final Details
First pitch Friday evening is slated for 5 p.m. CT at the Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. The times for the remainder of the contest will come when available based on the weather forecast. Live stats will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com. Fans can also follow the updates on Twitter by following @TxStateSoftball.