Texas State  Softball Team Returns Home to Host Bobcat Classic
 
SAN MARCOS, Texas – After splitting four games in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Texas State softball team returns to the Bobcat Softball Stadium to host the Bobcat Classic on Feb. 13-16. The Bobcat Classic includes teams from UTSA, Saint Louis, and Wichita State.
 
Texas State opens the tournament hosting I-35 rival UTSA beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13. Then, the Bobcats face Saint Louis at 5 p.m. on Feb. 14. Texas State plays two games on Saturday when they battle Saint Louis at noon and face Wichita State at 2:30 p.m. The Bobcats close out the tournament against Wichita State at noon on Sunday.
 

BOBCAT CLASSIC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 13
Game 1	UTSA at TEXAS STATE	5 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14
Game 2	Wichita State vs. Saint Louis	Noon
Game 3	Wichita State vs. UTSA	2:30 p.m.
Game 4	Saint Louis at TEXAS STATE	5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15
Game 5	Saint Louis at TEXAS STATE	Noon
Game 6	Wichita State at TEXAS STATE	2:30 p.m.
Game 7	UTSA vs. Saint Louis	5 p.m.
Game 8	Wichita State vs. UTSA	7:15 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 16
Game 9	UTSA vs. Saint Louis	10 a.m.
Game 10	Wichita State at TEXAS STATE	Noon

 
BOBCAT SCRATCHES
Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard is her 20th season at Texas State with a career record of 672-422-1. She has led the Bobcats to 12 conference championships and eight NCAA Regional appearances. Woodard has developed 82 All-Conference selections, 26 All-Region players, five NFCA All-Americans, and three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
 
The Bobcats opened the 2020 season with a 2-2 record in the NFCA Leadoff Classic with a 7-3 victory over Louisville and a 5-3 triumph over South Alabama. Texas State also took No. 15-ranked Kentucky to seven innings before the Wildcats scored the winning run in a 2-1 decision. Then, the Bobcats had a 4-2 setback against No. 23-ranked Auburn.
 
Texas State was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason coaches' poll after posting a 28-23 overall record and a 16-10 mark against Sun Belt teams in 2019.
 
Bobcat pitcher Dalilah Barrera was chosen on the NFCA All-Tournament Team after posting a 1-0 record and a 2.40 ERA in two starts. Barrera had 17 strikeouts and just three walks in 11.2 innings pitched.
 
Tara Oltmann was selected to the 2019 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference squad after ranking fourth in the league in RBIs (41), seventh in doubles (11, and eighth in stolen bases (16) in 2019. During conference-only games, she was fourth in RBIs (22) and sixth in doubles (7) and was the ninth toughest to strikeout in the league (16.8 K avg.). Oltmann picked right up where she left off in the NFCA Leadoff Classic when she began the 2020 season with a .385 average and one RBI in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. 
 
Hailey MacKay earned a preseason all-conference nod for the second year in a row. In 2018 she was named Third Team All-NFCA Central Region and First Team All-Sun Belt Conference. Last year MacKay started all 54 games at third base and was second on the team in batting average (.288) and ranked 13th in the Sun Belt with 26 walks. MacKay is off to a great start in 2020 as she hit .455 with five hits, three walks, a double, and two runs scored in 14 plate appearances. She also hit a home run and drove in both of Texas State's runs in an exhibition game against the USA Olympic Team at the Leadoff Classic. 
 
Senior outfielder Christiana McDowell was named to the 2019 All-Central Region team and Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2019 after finishing the season second in the Sun Belt with 25 stolen bases, eighth among qualified hitters in batting average (.361) and walks drawn (28), and ninth in on-base percentage (.457) and hits (60). McDowell had two hits and an RBI at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
 
Texas State's ArieAnn Bell, Kaylee Lind, Hailey MacKay, Molly Damiani, Meagan King, Kylie Matula, Christiana McDowell, Tara Oltmann, Natalia Reeves and Caitlyn Rogers were named 2019 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes in 2019. The softball team had a 3.3 GPA during 2018-19.

WHAT'S NEXT
Following the Bobcat Classic, Texas State will travel to Waco, Texas, for the Baylor Invitational on Feb. 21-23. The Bobcats will play against Minnesota at 9 a.m. and Illinois at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 21. They battle Minnesota again at 12:15 p.m. before playing against the host school, Baylor, at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. The Bobcats close out the tournament playing against Tulsa at 1 p.m. on Feb. 23.