GAME 21: #30 Texas State at #27 Coastal Carolina
Time / Date	4 p.m. / Friday, March 23
Location	Conway, South Carolina
Stadium	Springs Brooks Stadium
Live Stats	GameTracker
Video ($)	College Sports Live
Audio	KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes	Texas State
TXST Starter	RHP Nicholas Fraze (4-1, 0.84 ERA)
CCU Starter	RHP Jason Bilous (3-0, 2.51 ERA)

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team hits the road for a treacherous three-game series against No. 27 Coastal Carolina. The No. 30-ranked Bobcats (14-5-1, 3-0 SBC) will test their might against the Chanticleers (16-7, 3-0 SBC) March 23-25 at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

The two programs met for the first time last season, and TXST leads the short-lived rivalry 3-1. The maroon and gold knocked off CCU two games to one in San Marcos last year before ending the then-defending national champions season in the Sun Belt Championship quarterfinals. 

A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
•    Texas State is currently 14-5-1 this season and has posted an 11-1-1 record in the month of March.
•    The Bobcats are coming off a three-game sweep over Appalachian State this past weekend to open Sun Belt Conference action. They also dropped a midweek tilt at UTSA before earning a home walkoff triumph over Incarnate Word the last time out.
•    TXST entered the national discussion for the first time this season, as the maroon and gold earned a national rank of No. 30 by Collegiate Baseball News.

GAME 22: #30 Texas State at #27 Coastal Carolina
Time / Date	1 p.m. / Saturday, March 24
Location	Conway, South Carolina
Stadium	Springs Brooks Stadium
Live Stats	GameTracker
Video ($)	College Sports Live
Audio	KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes	Texas State
TXST Starter	RHP Connor Reich (3-0, 1.86 ERA)
CCU Starter	LHP Anthony Veneziano (1-0, 4.84 ERA)

•    Senior Derek Scheible led the Bobcats at the plate last weekend with a .417 average (5-for-12) that included two home runs, three runs scored and five RBIs.
•    Senior Jared Huber leads TXST in batting average overall this season, as he is hitting .348 (16-for-46).
•    The Texas State pitching staff boasted a 2.00 ERA this past weekend and held the Mountaineers to a .182 batting average.

A LOOK AT COASTAL CAROLINA
•    The No. 27-ranked Chanticleers (16-7, 3-0 SBC) have returned to their form from two years ago when they won the national championship.
•    They are undefeated in league play after blowing out Arkansas State in Jonesboro last weekend by a combined score of 37-18. They also most recently picked up a huge midweek triumph over No. 10 Clemson.
•    Coastal Carolina leads the SBC in victories this year competing against a brutal schedule, thus the team has the highest RPI of all league teams at No. 27.
•    The Chanticleers are one of the most lethal offensive powerhouses in the nation and are far and away the top offensive team in the Sun Belt Conference this season.

GAME 23: #30 Texas State at #27 Coastal Carolina
Time / Date	10:30 a.m. / Sunday, March 25
Location	Conway, South Carolina
Stadium	Springs Brooks Stadium
Live Stats	GameTracker
Video	None
Audio	KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes	Texas State
TXST Starter	TBA
CCU Starter	RHP Zack Hopeck (1-2, 4.55 ERA)

•    CCU averages a whopping nine runs per game and ranks in the top 10 in the entire NCAA in eight statistical categories.
•    Seth Lancaster leads the nation with 32 runs scored and is fifth nationally with 11 doubles.
•    Power hitter Kevin Woodall, Jr. continues his torrid start to the year, ranking sixth in the NCAA with nine home runs. He is also ninth in the country with 29 RBIs.

THE BOBCAT PITCHING STAFF
•    Texas State's pitching staff has been dominant throughout the first 18 games in 2018.
•    The Bobcat hurlers have been much improved from last season, beginning with an ERA that currently stands at 2.98 compared to 4.92 through 18 games last season.
•    By comparison, TXST's pitchers have conceded fewer runs (66-118), earned runs (58-100), hits (133-189), wild pitches (14-25), doubles (31-33), triples (5-6), home runs (9-12), 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 (152-142), saves (5-0), shutouts (2-1), and wins (14-12).
•    The only numbers that favor 2017 are fewer hits-by-pitch (20-18) and walks (88-85).
•    The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt in numerous categories, including ERA, opponent batting average, fewest losses, hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, and home runs allowed. The Bobcats also rank second in wins and fourth in saves.

ESTABLISHING NEW CAREER-HIGHS
    Below is a list of all Bobcat returners who have registered new single-game career highs in 2018.
•    Broc Bosse - 2.1 innings pitched (Oklahoma State), 3 strikeouts (McNeese State)
•    Cole Coffey - 2 runs scored (Stephen F. Austin)
•    Nicholas Fraze - 8 strikeouts (Appalachian State)
•    Jaylen Hubbard - 2 doubles (Incarnate Word)
•    Zachary Leigh - 7.2 innings pitched and 8 strikeouts (Appalachian State)
•    Brandon Lewis - 8 strikeouts (McNeese State)
•    Braden Pearson - 4 strikeouts (Rice)
•    Derek Scheible - 2 home runs (UC Santa Barbara)

WEATHER WREAKING HAVOC ON TXST
•    Weather has played a role in all but one weekend series for Texas State in 2018.
•    The opening three-game set against Oklahoma State went off without a hitch, but since then the Bobcats have been unable to finish a series unaltered by weather.
•    TXST had a 58-minute rain delay early in a 1-0 loss to McNeese State on Feb. 25.
•    A contest on March 3 against Stephen F. Austin was halted after five innings of play due to persistent rain showers, and the game was finished on March 4 with Texas State winning 6-3.
•    Action at UC Santa Barbara never got underway March 10 thanks to heavy rainfall, and the game was moved to a doubleheader March 11. The Bobcats won the first game 6-5, and the two sides tied 4-4 in the series finale due to travel constraints.
•    Play was halted in the sixth inning for 1 hour, 24 minutes on March 17 against Appalachian State due to rain/lightning. TXST would go on to capture a 3-2 victory.
•    The March 23 bout against Coastal Carolina has already been altered. Due to cold temperatures in Conway, the original start time of 5 p.m. has been moved up to a 4 p.m. first pitch.

HARRINGTON EARNS WIN NO. 600
•    Texas State coach Ty Harrington earned win No. 600 of his illustrious career with a 6-5 triumph at UC Santa Barbara March 11.
•    The Bobcats won the series opener against the Gauchos 1-0 and picked up Harrington's 600th win thanks in large part to two home runs from senior Derek Scheible.
•    Coach Harrington is in his 19th season leading the Bobcats, and all 600+ of his victories have been as TXST's head skipper.
•    He entered this year with 591 career victories, giving him an average of 32.8 wins per season.
•    Harrington had his first-collegiate victory against Lubbock Christian on Feb. 2, 2000, and he picked up win No. 500 against Baylor on April 24, 2014.

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.

2018 WALKOFFS
•    Walkoff szn continues in San Marcos, as the maroon and gold has already posted three walkoff victories in 2018.
 •    The first came on March 4, when Dylan Paul hit an RBI triple and scored on an error to beat Stephen F. Austin 7-6 and complete the weekend sweep.
•    The Bobcats loaded the bases and Jaylen Hubbard earned a walkoff walk on March 17 to lift TXST over Appalachian State 3-2.
•    Hubbard once again did the deed on March 21, when his bases-loaded, two-out RBI hit to left center was the final act in a three-run ninth that gave Texas State a 6-5 win over Incarnate Word.

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