Baseball | 2/27/2017 5:51:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team returns to Bobcat Ballpark after a weekend on the road and is set to begin a 13-game homestand. First on the docket will be a contest against Sam Houston State (3-4), which is slated for a 6 p.m. start Feb. 28.
 
The rivalry between the two programs is the second-most played in Texas State history. TXST leads the all-time series by a narrow 51-47 margin but has dropped the last six. The Bobcats dominated the series from 1999-11, compiling a 34-10 record in those 44 contests.

Series Info: Sam Houston State at Texas State
Site: Bobcat Ballpark - San Marcos, Texas
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28
Time: 6 pm
 
Probable Pitching Matchup
Tuesday: #32 RHP Cam Baird (0-1, 13.50 ERA) vs. #41 RHP Dakota Mills (0-1, 3.86 ERA)

BOBCATS TOPPLE NATIONALLY-RANKED FOE
Texas State earned a hard-fought 12-11 upset victory over No. 22 Oklahoma State on Feb. 25 at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The Bobcats never trailed in the game but had to fend off three separate Cowboy comebacks. Junior Blake Walden (2-0) earned the win on the mound after throwing the final 1.2 innings. He allowed one run on two hits. Sophomore Wes Engle took the ball first and left after 4.0 frames. He struck out five, walked four and gave up three runs on two hits. Senior Joe Powell, junior Braden Pearson, sophomore Brandon Lewis and true freshman Zachary Leigh all logged time on the mound between Engle and Walden. Junior Derek Scheible went 4-for-5 at the plate and tied the school record by scoring five times. He also registered a career-high four runs batted in to go along with a career high in hits. Junior Dylan Paul went 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored, and sophomore Jonathan Ortega finished 3-for-6 with an RBI. Sophomore Jacob Almendarez went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Overall, Texas State outhit Oklahoma State 17-11.
 
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 five home games of this season, TXST has an average attendance of 1,745, which is good for 30th 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.

THE 2017 SLATE
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.