SAN MARCOS, Texas — The continuous grind of early-season softball rolls on for the Texas State softball team as the Bobcats will play Sam Houston State, BYU and UTSA — twice — over the next five days in final preparation for their upcoming Sun Belt Conference schedule. 

Texas State (10-3) will play Sam Houston State on Wednesday, March 10 at 6 p.m., before playing BYU 24 hours later. A third 6 p.m. first pitch awaits the Bobcats when they host UTSA on Friday, March 12. 

TXST and UTSA will play, again, on Saturday, March 13 at 6 p.m. when the two teams tangle in San Antonio. 

The Bobcats are coming off its first three-game sweep of Houston in program history, which followed a two-game split at Texas Tech last Wednesday. 

"This will be a fun week for Texas State softball fans. Lots of competition at Bobcat Stadium," said Texas State softball head coach Ricci Woodard. "We are excited with the addition of BYU to the schedule on Thursday, because of their traditionally great program.

"We are looking forward to continuing the early success of the season with this team! It should be an exciting week at Bobcat Stadium." 

PLAYER TO WATCH: Sara Vanderford

Sara Vanderford is one of just four players to have started all 13 games so far this season for head coach Ricci Woodard. Vanderford is also coming off her first career Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honor in which she slashed .636/.667/1.273 in five games. She led the team with 14 total bases, seven hits, seven runs batted in and four doubles. She had four straight games with a run-scoring hit, did not record an out in 11 consecutive plate appearances and went 7-for-7 at the plate across four games. Vanderford enters this stretch of games with a team-leading .433 batting average, 13 hits, six doubles and 15 runs batted in. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: Sam Houston State, BYU, UTSA

• Texas State already has one win over the Bearkats this season — a 10-3 win in San Marcos on Saturday, Feb. 27 — to earn its 21st win in 24 games against the program since April 26, 2008. A win Wednesday night would be the Bobcats' 62nd all-time win over Sam Houston State.
• Thursday night's game between Texas State and BYU will mark the first time the two teams have played each other in either Provo, Utah or San Marcos, Texas. The all-time series is tied 2-2 with the Bobcats' last win coming in Tempe, Ariz., when TXST won, 6-2, on Feb. 10, 2012.
• Friday night's game with UTSA will mark the 88th all-time meeting between the Bobcats and Roadrunners dating back to March 14, 1992, which TXST won 5-1 in San Marcos. Texas State is currently riding a two-game winning streak and has won 7 of the last 10 against UTSA. 

TOUGH ENOUGH

Through 12 games this season, true freshman Hannah Earls has yet to strikeout in 28 plate appearances in 11 starts. Earls, who picked up three starts at shortstop in all three games against Houston over the week, is one of 66 players in the country who has yet to strikeout. Earls and Coastal Carolina's Kayla Rosado are the lone Sun Belt Conference players to have accomplish that feat.