Dylan Paul vs. Texas

Baseball

PREVIEW: Texas State to host South Alabama this weekend

Bobcats to welcome Jaguars for three-game series April 20-22.

GAME 38: South Alabama at Texas State
Time / Date 3 p.m. / Friday, April 20
Location San Marcos, Texas
Stadium Bobcat Ballpark
Live Stats Statbroadcast | SIDEARM
Video ($) TXST All-Access
Audio KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes Texas State
TXST Starter RHP Nicholas Fraze (4-2, 1.21 ERA)
USA Starter RHP Tyler Carr (6-2, 3.45 ERA)
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team is set to play host to South Alabama in Sun Belt Conference action to kickoff an eight-game homestand. The Bobcats (20-16-1, 8-7 SBC) will welcome the Jaguars (22-13, 10-4 SBC) for a three-game series April 20-22 at Bobcat Ballpark.

The middle game of the series has been moved up and will be played as part of a day-night doubleheader April 20 beginning at 3 p.m. The series finale will be contested at 12:30 p.m. April 22.

South Alabama leads the all-time series 10-2 and is on a six-game win streak over the Bobcats. The two teams began their series in 2014 when TXST joined the Sun Belt. The Bobcats took solo games in the first two meetings but has since been swept each of the last two years.

A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
GAME 39: South Alabama at Texas State
Time / Date 6:30 p.m. / Friday, April 20
Location San Marcos, Texas
Stadium Bobcat Ballpark
Live Stats Statbroadcast | SIDEARM
Video ($) TXST All-Access
Audio KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes Texas State
TXST Starter RHP Connor Reich (5-2, 3.35 ERA)
USA Starter LHP Jared Proctor (2-0, 1.93 ERA)

•    Texas State is currently 20-16-1 this and 8-7 in the SBC after sweeping Georgia State in a three-game series this past weekend and falling to No. 14 Texas A&M in midweek action.
•    Senior Dylan Paul leads TXST in batting average overall this season, as he is hitting .317 (45-for-142).
•    Senior Derek Scheible is the team leader in RBIs (26), home runs (9) and runs scored (32).
•    Texas State recorded 46 hits in the series with the Panthers, which was the most for a three-game series since April 18-20, 2008.

A LOOK AT SOUTH ALABAMA
•    USA has hovered around the national rankings all season long and currently sits at 22-13 overall and 10-4 in the SBC.
GAME 40: South Alabama at Texas State
Time / Date 12:30 p.m. / Sunday, April 22
Location San Marcos, Texas
Stadium Bobcat Ballpark
Live Stats Statbroadcast | SIDEARM
Video ($) TXST All-Access
Audio KTSW 89.9 FM
Game Notes Texas State
TXST Starter TBA
USA Starter RHP Noah Michael (1-1, 5.17 ERA)

•    The Jaguars are riding a five-game win streak and is 9-2 in their last 11 outings. The lone losses were setbacks to No. 16 Coastal Carolina.
•    They feature the reigning SBC Player of the Year in Travis Swaggerty. He already boasts a .315 average, nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 36 runs scored.
•    Not to be outdone, Dylan Hardy is the team leader in batting average (.343) and also has 38 runs scored, 49 hits and 15 stolen bases.
•    Eight of their everyday starters are batting at least .270.

WEATHER WREAKING HAVOC ON TXST
•    Weather has played a role in all but two 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 start time for a March 23 bout against Coastal Carolina was pushed up one hour due to cold temperatures in Conway. The series finale was then played as a day-night doubleheader March 24 due to rain in the March 25 forecast.
•    Heavy rain showers on April 6 in Monroe forced the weekend series to be pushed back one day. The series started April 7 and a doubleheader was played on April 8. ULM won the series two games to one.
•    The April 15 forecast called for thunderstorms in the Decatur area, so the series finale with Georgia State was moved up a day to a day/night doubleheader on April 14. The Bobcats swept the road series.
•    The upcoming weekend series against South Alabama has already been altered due to projected rain in the forecast. The April 21 game will now be played as part of a day-night doubleheader April 20.

TEXAS STATE 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.

TXST TRIO EARN PRESEASON LAURELS
•    Three Texas State baseball players were named to the 2018 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, the league announced Jan. 31.
•    Senior utility player Dylan Paul, junior second baseman Jonathan Ortega and junior third baseman Jaylen Hubbard all picked up preseason laurels after landing on the All-Sun Belt Second Team a year ago.
•    The three preseason selections are the most by Texas State since joining the league in 2014. South Alabama led the way with four selections.
•    Paul has increased his production all three years donning the maroon and gold. He has registered a collegiate batting average of .287 in 107 games. He has also posted 84 hits, 15 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 55 RBIs, 44 runs scored, and four stolen bases.
•    Ortega has made 114 starts over the course of his first two years with the Bobcats. He owns a career batting average of .312, and he has also tallied 153 hits, 29 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs, 80 RBIs, 87 runs scored and 29 stolen bases.
•    Hubbard is one shy of reaching 100 career games played for TXST. He has a .304 batting average and owns 109 hits, 19 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 52 RBIs, 58 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases.

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.

-- TXSTATEBOBCATS.COM --
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Players Mentioned

Nicholas Fraze

#36 Nicholas Fraze

RHP
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Jaylen Hubbard

#19 Jaylen Hubbard

IF
5' 9"
Junior
R/R
Jonathan Ortega

#6 Jonathan Ortega

IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Dylan Paul

#15 Dylan Paul

UTIL
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Connor Reich

#41 Connor Reich

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Derek Scheible

#20 Derek Scheible

OF
6' 1"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Nicholas Fraze

#36 Nicholas Fraze

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Jaylen Hubbard

#19 Jaylen Hubbard

5' 9"
Junior
R/R
IF
Jonathan Ortega

#6 Jonathan Ortega

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
IF
Dylan Paul

#15 Dylan Paul

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
UTIL
Connor Reich

#41 Connor Reich

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Derek Scheible

#20 Derek Scheible

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
OF