Baseball | 2/21/2017 4:59:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team will welcome Baylor out of the Big 12 Conference for a single midweek tilt at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at Bobcat Ballpark. Texas State owns a five-game win streak over the Bears, which includes a three-game sweep in 2015 and single triumphs in both 2014 and 2016. BU boasts a perfect 4-0 record this year, earning three wins over Niagara and a single victory over Nevada. TXST split a four-game set with Purdue to begin the year.

Series Info: Baylor at Texas State
Site: Bobcat Ballpark – San Marcos, Texas
Dates: Wednesday, Feb. 22
Time: 6 pm
 
Probable Pitching Matchup
Wednesday: #37 RHP Cam Baird (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. #40 RHP Alex Phillips (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

THE SEASON OPENER
Texas State was the only Sun Belt school to schedule an opponent from a Power 5 Conference (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC). The Bobcats split a four-game set with Purdue out of the Big Ten, which included a come-from-behind 13-11 triumph in the second game of a doubleheader on Feb. 18. TXST fell behind 10-5, but scored eight runs in the final two innings - including a walkoff homer from Derek Scheible - to earn the first win of the season. The Bobcats then blew past the Boilermakers 14-5 in the series finale. Texas State hosted 6,725 fans (1,681/game), which included 2,068 in the opener. The figure was the second-highest for an opening night game and the 11th highest attendance figure in stadium history.
 
BOBCATS BOAST TOP ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
Since the NCAA began tracking attendance figures in 2014, Texas State has boasted the second-best attendance in the Sun Belt Conference. From 2014-16, the Bobcats welcomed 120,802 (1,328/game) patrons to Bobcat Ballpark. During the first four games of this season, TXST has an average attendance of 1,681, which is good for 23rd in the nation.
 
2017 SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
The Texas State Athletics Ticket Office has announced season ticket packages for the upcoming 2017 Bobcat baseball campaign. Tickets are now on sale for both season ticket renewals and new purchases. Reserved season tickets can be purchased for $150 and general admission seats are $99. Special discounts are available for Bobcat Club donors, Texas State faculty and staff, recent alumni (2012-16) and members of the T-Association. A complete list of those discounts can be found in the chart below. Patrons can purchase their season tickets at the Mark & Linda Smith Athletic Ticket Office located at Bobcat Stadium, by calling the office at 512-245-2272, or by logging into their account on TXStateBobcats.com/tickets. Season ticket holders may renew their same seating locations as last year by logging into their account, calling 512-245-2272 or visiting the Mark & Linda Smith Athletic Ticket Office between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Patrons attempting to login to their account need to check their email for instructions from Texas State on how to do so.
 
The deadline for season ticket renewals was Feb. 3, and Mini-Plans went on sale Jan. 31. Single game tickets were made available for purchase Feb. 7 for all games except Texas and Texas A&M, which went on sale March 1. TXST is billed to play 33 games inside Bobcat Ballpark this season. Notable non-conference home games include dates with Baylor (Feb. 22), Rice (March 15), Texas (March 21) and Texas A&M (March 28). The first Sun Belt Conference action will be a three-game home series against the defending national champion Coastal Carolina Chanticleers March 17-19.
 
NOTE: Season ticket holders receive the benefit of being able to purchase additional tickets to any home game, including the Texas and Texas A&M games, when they pay for their season tickets.

WHAT LIES AHEAD
The Bobcats have lined up a treacherous slate for the 2017 campaign that features numerous dangerous opponents and allows Texas State fans plenty of opportunities to see some of the best college baseball teams in the nation. TXST is scheduled to play 23 road games and 33 contests in the friendly confines of Bobcat Ballpark. Of those 22 different opponents, seven received preseason national top-25 rankings from at least one of the five accredited ranking organizations (Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma State, Rice, Sam Houston State, Texas, Texas A&M). Also on the docket is seven programs that competed in the NCAA Championship last year (CCU, OSU, Rice, TAMU, SHSU, Louisiana, South Alabama), two College World Series participants (CCU, OSU) and the defending national champions (CCU). Texas State was also the only Sun Belt school to schedule a team from a Power 5 Conference (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) opening weekend. TXST lined up a four-game set with Big Ten foe Purdue Feb. 17-19.
 
A NEW FORMAT THIS YEAR
Beginning with the 2017 season, the Sun Belt Conference will conduct its baseball regular season with divisional play. Two divisions will be comprised of six teams each, and divisional champions will be awarded at the end of the year based on the winning percentage against all teams, regardless of division. The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship will be seeded with the division winners as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, with the No. 1 seed being awarded to the divisional winner with the best conference winning percentage. The number of teams playing in the conference championship will increase from eight to 10. This would cause two additional games to be played. The first round games will include the No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed and the No. 7 seed vs. the No. 10 seed, with both contests conducted as single-elimination games on Tuesday of tournament week. The conference tournament is set for May 23-28 at J.I. Clements Stadium on the campus of Georgia Southern.
 
ORTEGA EARNS PRESEASON ACCOLADE
Jonathan Ortega was named to the 2017 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team. The sophomore member of the Texas State baseball program started all 59 games during his rookie campaign. He finished with a .286 (72-for-252) batting average, while also compiling 14 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 35 RBI's and 33 runs scored. The speedy infielder tied for the team lead with seven stolen bases and also finished third in the SBC with 166 assists. He ranked eighth in the conference in double plays turned (32) and ninth in total hits.
 
HARRINGTON ADDS 6 FOR 2018
The Texas State baseball team and head coach Ty Harrington have announced that six high school seniors have been added to the program during the early signing period. The newest Bobcats all come from Texas and are set to join the team in the 2018 season. The class include two pitcher/infielders, two infielders, one outfielder and one pitcher.
 
The newest Bobcats are Matthew Charles (SS/RHP, 5-10, 155, Houston, Texas), Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli (SS/RHP, 6-0, 175, Austin, Texas), Wesley Faison (IF, 6-3, 225, Richmond, Texas), Matthew Nicholas (RHP, 6-0, 185, San Marcos, Texas), Dalton Shuffield (SS, 5-9, 150, San Antonio, Texas) and John Wutrich (OF, 5-11, 175, Midland, Texas).
 
RECORD-TYING 5 BOBCATS CHOSEN IN 2016 MLB DRAFT
Texas State had five players selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft. Jonathan Hennigan, Granger Studdard, Tanner Hill and Pasquale Mazzoccoli joined Lucas Humpal to tie the school record for TXST, joining the classes of 2011 and 2012. Humpal was the first Bobcat off the board, when the Baltimore Orioles picked him up with the 15th selection of the ninth round. Hennigan was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the first pick of the 21st round, while Studdard was picked by the Boston Red Sox with the 12th pick of the 22nd round. Hill was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 13th pick of the 26th round. The Diamondbacks have another Bobcat great in their starting lineup in MLB All-Star Paul Goldschmidt. Pasquale Mazzoccoli was drafted with the 29th position in the 35th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Texas State has had multiple players selected in seven consecutive drafts and in 13 since TXST coach Ty Harrington took over the program in 2000. Hennigan, Studdard, Hill and Mazzoccoli are the 40th, 41st, 42nd and 43rd players selected in the MLB Draft since Harrington began coaching at Texas State.