SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State University softball team (17-7) will host Incarnate Word on Tuesday afternoon at Bobcat Softball Stadium before heading to Waco, Texas for a clash with No. 12 Baylor on Wednesday evening. First pitch against the Cardinals is scheduled for 2 p.m. while the start time against the Bears is slated for 6 p.m.

Last Time Out for the Bobcats
• Texas State won three games last week, toppling Houston Baptist in a mid-week matchup and downing Georgia State in a two-game set to open Sun Belt Conference play.
• In the win over the Huskies, Ariel Ortiz smashed a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Krista Jacobs and McKenna Fryar combined to throw seven innings of four-hit softball in the circle. The Bobcats won 5-3.
• In game one of a SBC double-header, Randi Rupp spun seven scoreless innings while striking out seven GSU batters. Tara Oltmann and Jaelyn Young each had RBI singles in the top of the fourth inning to give TXST a 2-0 victory.
• In game two, Ortiz delivered three RBIs including a double that scored Christiana McDowell in the top of the 10th inning. After five strong innings of work from Fryar, Rupp closed out the contest, pitching five innings and striking out 11 Panther batters. Rupp earned her second win of the day as the Bobcats won 5-4 in 10 innings.

Texas State Against Incarnate Word
• Texas State added a mid-week game against Incarnate Word on March 13 to compensate for the lost game against Portland State in the 2018 Bobcat Classic. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. from Bobcat Softball Stadium.
 • In the previous 11 matchups between these schools, the Bobcats have won eight times. The Cats handled the Cardinals, 6-0, in their only meeting of the season. At home, TXST holds a 4-2 advantage over UIW.

Texas State, Baylor Renew Yearly Rivalry
• Texas State will head north to take on No. 12 Baylor on Wednesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Waco. The Bears made it to the College Softball World Series a season ago.
• Last season, the Bobcats shocked No. 12/13 Baylor via a walk-off win in San Marcos. Rupp was brilliant in the circle, pitching seven scoreless innings. She allowed just three hits in the game and struck out four Bear batters. McDowell bounced out to second base with the bases loaded, scoring Kennedy Cline from third base. TXST won 1-0.
• The Bobcats have not found much success over the Bears, posting a record of 16-38 against the Big 12 Conference foe.

Rupp Named Pitcher of the Week
• The Sun Belt Conference announced that Randi Rupp earned player of the week honors on Feb. 28 for her masterful four-game stretch at the FAU "Strike Out Cancer" Tournament.
• The senior right-hander appeared in four games, making two starts, and posted a record of 3-0. She pitched 17.1 innings of softball and yielded just four earned runs while striking out 24 batters.
• For Rupp, she has earned Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week 10 times in her illustrious career, including four times a season ago. She last won the award on May 2, 2017.

MacKay Earns Player of the Week Accolades
• The Sun Belt Conference announced that Hailey MacKay earned player of the week accolades on Feb. 20 for her tremendous performance at Arizona State.
• In 16 official at-bats, the sophomore registered 10 hits, walked four times and did not record a strikeout. At the Littlewood Classic, MacKay hit .571 (8-of-14), drove in four runners and scored a trio of runs.
In four of the six games played, MacKay notched multiple hits, including a season best three-hit game against the Sun Devils. She went 3-for-4 with a solo home run against No. 18 Arizona State. She safely reached base in each of the last six outings.

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