SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team (9-10) will begin a daunting week of action with a home tilt against the Baylor Bears (10-8). Baylor enters the game as the No. 24 ranked team in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.

Texas State enters the game having lost four of their last six games and have been shutout in three of the losses. The Bobcats went 2-3 in the Red & White Showcase hosted by the Houston Cougars. The team won games against Texas Southern and DePaul and dropped a pair of games against Houston and one against Wichita State.

GAME INFORMATION
6:00 p.m. CST | Bobcat Softball Stadium
FOLLOW: Live Stats
WATCH: txstatebobcats.com/watch/

ABOUT TEXAS STATE
After a tough weekend in Houston, Texas State slid in some key offensive categories among Sun Belt leaders. The Bobcats rank fourth in runs scored (102), fifth in home runs (14), fifth in hits (139), and fifth in team batting average (.277).

Texas State has really struggled on the defensive side of the field in the early stages of the season. The pitching staff ranks eighth in a 10-team league in team earned run average (4.67). The two teams ranking below TXST, ULM and Georgia State, have combined for a record of 5-34 to start the season.

Junior outfielder Christiana McDowell has been on fire to start the season. She is hitting a team best .458 at the top of the Bobcat lineup. She has collected 27 hits this season and is the only Bobcat to have more than 18 hits. She is a perfect 8-for-8 in steal attempts and leads the team in both runs scored (18) and walks drawn (11).

Senior pitcher Krista Jacobs (0-1) has been solid in her limited work this season. She has pitched 18.1 innings and leads the Bobcats with a team-low 3.44 ERA. Sophomore pitcher Meagan King (4-6) improved her numbers after a great two outings to open the Red & White Showcase. She earned two victories in 8.1 innings of scoreless work against Texas Southern and Wichita State.

ABOUT BAYLOR
Despite being ranked for the entire season, Baylor has struggled in the early portion of the season. After opening the season with an upset victory over No. 9 South Carolina, 4-3, the Bears have been up-and-down since. Baylor has a record of 1-3 against Sun Belt foe, losing twice to UT Arlington and splitting a pair of games with Louisiana.

Junior infielder Taylor Ellis leads the Baylor offense in average (.373) and runs scored (12). She has accumulated three doubles and a pair of home runs in 19 hits this season. Freshman infielder Kassidy Krupit is the big power threat for the Bears. She leads the team with five home runs and 15 runs batted in. Krupit is hitting .263 on the season with nine strikeouts.

Walks have been an issue for the BU pitching staff. Baylor has issued 61 free passes through the first 18 games of the season, which ranks sixth in the seven-team Big 12 Conference. The staff carries an earned run average of 3.44 into the midweek showdown, a figure that also ranks next-to-last in the league. Sophomore pitcher Sydney Holman leads the unit in innings pitched with 45.2 but is third in ERA at 3.53. She has allowed 23 earned runs on the season.

UP NEXT FOR THE BOBCATS
Texas State will open Sun Belt Conference play against No. 11 Louisiana over the weekend. Game one will be at 6 p.m. on March 8, game two will begin at 2 p.m. on March 9 and the series finale will start at noon on March 10.

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