SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team is prepped to open Sun Belt Conference action with a three-game home series against Appalachian State. The Bobcats (10-4-1, 0-0 SBC) and Mountaineers (5-9, 0-0 SBC) will lock up March 16-18 at Bobcat Ballpark.
Texas State leads the all-time series 9-0, but six of the nine bouts have been decided by three runs or fewer. All nine meetings have been since 2015. TXST joined the Sun Belt in 2014.
The lone matchups in San Marcos occurred in 2016, with the maroon and gold winning all three tilts by a combined score of 24-2.
A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
•   Texas State is currently 10-4-1 this season and riding an eight-game unbeaten streak.
•   The Bobcats swept Stephen F. Austin two weeks ago, picked up a midweek triumph over Rice on March 6 and went 2-0-1 at UC Santa Barbara this past weekend. They also won 5-2 over UTSA on March 13. Â
•   Junior
Jaylen Hubbard led the Bobcats at the plate last weekend with a .417 average (5-for-12). He scored three times and slugged .500.
•   Senior
Dylan Paul leads TXST in batting average overall this season, as he is hitting .345 (20-for-58).
•   The Texas State pitching staff boasted a 3.00 ERA this past weekend and held the Gauchos to a .258 batting average.
A LOOK AT APPALACHIAN STATE
•   The Mountaineers enter conference play with a 5-9 record. They have lost five of their last six games but are coming off a 6-0 shutout victory over N.C. Central.
•   App State has yet to win any of its first four weekend series this season and owns a 3-9 record in weekend bouts in 2018.
•   Appalachian State features one of the most dominant pitchers in the Sun Belt in lefty Colin Schmid. He currently owns a 2.52 ERA this season, which is 11th in the league. His .193 opposing batting average ranks seventh, and his 27 strikeouts are fifth in the conference.
•   The Mountaineers are solid all throughout their order, as eight players are hitting at least .200. Kendall McGowan leads in average (.280), Drew Beck leads in hits (13), Conner Leonard leads the squad in home runs (2), and Jason Avers and Riley Smith are tied for the team lead in RBIs (9). Smith also leads App in runs scored (9).
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THE BOBCAT PITCHING STAFF
•   Texas State's pitching staff has been dominant throughout the first 15 games in 2018.
•   The Bobcat hurlers have been much improved from last season, beginning with an ERA that currently stands at 2.82 compared to 5.51 through 15 games last season.
•   By comparison, TXST's pitchers have conceded fewer runs (48-99), earned runs (41-82), hits (94-146), wild pitches (10-22), doubles (19-26), triples (3-6), home runs (6-8), and balks (0-2) compared to this time last year. The maroon and gold is the only team in the SBC who has yet to commit a balk.
•   Texas State has also upped its totals in strikeouts (112-104), saves (5-0), shutouts (2-0), and wins (10-8).
•   The only numbers that favor 2017 are fewer hits-by-pitch (19-15) and walks (72-60).
•   The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt in numerous categories, including ERA, opponent batting average, hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, doubles allowed and home runs allowed. The Bobcats also rank second in saves.
TXST SELECTED TO COMPETE IN 2019 SHRINERS CLASSIC
•   The Texas State baseball team is set to join a loaded field for the 2019 Shriners Hospital for Children College Classic, the Houston Astros announced March 5.
•   The tournament will be contested March 1-3, 2019, at Minute Maid Park and feature an all-Texas field of Baylor, Houston, Rice, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas State.
•   The 19th annual event will feature nine games between the six programs.
•   The official times and dates of each game will be announced at a later time.
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.
THE 2018 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
•   The Sun Belt Conference will conduct its baseball regular season with divisional play for the second-straight year.
•   Two divisions are 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 2018 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.
•   Ten teams will qualify for the postseason event. 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.
•   The remainder of the tournament will be played under a double-elimation format.
•   The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship is set for May 22-27 at Russo Park on the campus of Louisiana.
SEASON TICKETS NOW ON SALE
•   The Texas State Athletics Ticket Office has announced season ticket packages for the 2018 Bobcat baseball campaign.
•   Tickets are on sale for both season ticket renewals and new purchases. 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.
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