Baseball | 2/22/2018 2:16:00 PM
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team is set to rekindle an old Southland Conference rivalry against McNeese State this weekend.
The Bobcats (1-3) and Cowboys (0-4) will compete three times Feb. 23-25 at 6 p.m., 4 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, at Bobcat Ballpark. These will mark the first meetings since 2012, and TXST leads the all-time series 40-33.
The maroon and gold has won each of the last six series between the two programs dating back to 2006. Since 2007, the Bobcats own a 14-4 record over McNeese.
A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
• Texas State owns a 1-3 mark in 2018 after dropping the season-opening series to Oklahoma State and losing a midweek tilt at Rice.
• Senior
Dylan Paul led the way at the plate against the Cowboys, posting a .500 average (6-for-12). He currently boasts the top average of .412, while senior
Luke Sherley and junior
Jacob Almendarez are both batting .400 (6-for-15).
• The Bobcats returned nine position players who accumulated at least 20 starts last season and their entire starting rotation.
A LOOK AT McNEESE STATE
• The Cowboys (0-4) have dropped all four of their games so far this season, but they have played perennial powers Wichita State and Louisiana Tech.
• The Cowboys were 37-20 last season and went 22-8 in league play to claim the Southland Conference Championship.
• McNeese bowed out in three games in the conference tournament and did not earn a bid to an NCAA Regional.
• The team was selected to finish third in the 2018 Southland standings in a preseason poll of the conference's head coaches.
• Defending Southland Hitter of the Year and first team all-leaguer Shane Selman was named to the preseason All-Southland First Team.
• Joe Provenzano (First Team) and Grant Anderson (Second Team) also picked up preseason All-SLC laurels.
REICH SNAGS FIRST-CAREER WEEKLY ACCOLADE
•
Connor Reich was honored as the first 2018 Sun Belt Conference Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Feb. 20.
• The junior from Hallsville, Texas, had a dominant performance on the mound that led the Texas State baseball team to a 10-1 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 17.
• Reich struck out eight Cowboys and did not issue a walk, which marked the first start of his career where he did not concede a free pass. He also gave up just two hits and did not allow a baserunner past second base.
• The hurler earned the first accolade of his career and became the fifth different Bobcat to be lauded as the SBC Pitcher of the Week. The award was the first for a TXST pitcher since March 21, 2016 (Jeremy Hallonquist).
BOBCATS LAND 3rd IN PRESEASON POLL
• Texas State was selected to finish third in the west division of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Jan. 30.
• The Bobcats collected 51 points and one first-place vote to land in the top half of the division. Louisiana was chosen to win the west after picking up nine first-place votes and 68 points. UTA, the defending division champion, was slotted second after receiving 56 points and the remaining two first-place votes.
• South Alabama earned all 12 first-place votes and was picked to win the SBC East Division with 72 points. Coastal Carolina settled into second with 59 points, and Georgia Southern landed in third with 43 points.
SEASON TICKETS NOW ON SALE
• The Texas State Athletics Ticket Office has announced season ticket packages for the 2018 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 (2013-17) and members of the T-Association.
• Patrons can purchase their season tickets at the TXST 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.
• Due to the high demand for reserved seats, fans are encouraged to purchase the best available seats now and to indicate their preferences for other locations if any become available.
• Season ticket holders may renew their same seating locations as last year by logging into their account, calling 512-245-2272 or visiting the TXST 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.
WALKOFF U
• The 2017 campaign was filled with comebacks for the Bobcats. Texas State recorded seven walkoff victories and collected six victories when trailing after eight innings.
• The first walkoff came against Purdue on Feb. 18, when Texas State scored eight runs in the final two innings to defeat the Boilermakers 13-11. The win was capped by a two-out, two-RBI home run from
Derek Scheible.
• The second walkoff came off the bat of
Jared Huber, whose two-out single plated
Ryan Newman and gave TXST a 6-5, 10-inning victory over Richmond on March 5.
• Texas State defeated Alabama A&M on March 12 in run-rule fashion (10-0 in eight innings) when
Mickey Scott registered a two-out RBI single to drive in
Jonathan Ortega.
• Newman hit a walkoff homer in the 14th inning of Texas State's 5-4 win over Coastal Carolina on March 17. The Bobcats scored a game-tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th before earning the triumph.
• TXST defeated Texas 11-10 on March 21 with a two-out RBI single from
Luke Sherley that scored Newman in the bottom of the 10th. TXST plated three runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, with the game-tying run coming with two outs.
• The maroon and gold received a two-out, two-RBI single from Ortega to walkoff Georgia State by a 10-9 margin on May 6.
• Scheible added a second walkoff to his resume on May 20 against UTA, when his pinch-hit double in the 10th inning drove in Scott to hand TXST a 7-6 victory. The Bobcats tied the game with a two-out run in the bottom of the ninth.
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