HOUSTON, TX — If playing back-to-back Pac-12 opponents were enough of an early season test for the Texas State softball program, this weekend's four-game gauntlet at the University of Houston will certainly make the exam tougher.
Just two days after playing the No. 12 Oregon Ducks, Texas State (2-2) will play McNeese (10 AM) and Houston (5:30 PM) on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Bobcats will then square off against No. 1 Oklahoma (10 AM) and Houston (12:30 PM) on Sunday, Feb. 20.
WHO TO WATCH: Dani Elder, Grad., INF
Dani Elder, the Texas A&M graduate transfer, has made an immediate impact since being penciled into the starting lineup at first base for head coach
Ricci Woodard. Elder's 10 total bases in 11 plate appearances throughout four games are tied for the second most — behind only
Sara Vanderford's 11 -- on the team. She is tied for the team lead with five runs batted in, while her .909 slugging percentage is the second-highest percentage on the team among student-athlete with three-or-more plate appearances. Elder is the only student-athlete on the team to have hit more than one home run so far this season.
INSIDE THE SERIES: McNeese, Houston and Oklahoma
The battles between Texas State and McNeese date all the way back to the 1988 season, when the Bobcats took the first-ever meeting, 7-3, in Nacogdoches, Texas. However, Saturday's contest will be the first meeting between the two programs since April 19, 2017, when the Bobcats won 5-4 in San Marcos. Since taking over as Texas State's softball head coach,
Ricci Woodard is 34-11-1 all-time against McNeese.
Texas State swept the season series against Houston in 2021 by a combined 19-3 run total across three days. However, playing the Cougars in Houston have been somewhat of an Achilles heel for the Bobcats as Texas State has won only twice (February 15, 2009, March 15, 2017) in its last 11 trips to Houston to play the Cougars.
Sunday's game will mark just the seventh all-time meeting between Texas State and Oklahoma with the Sooners winning the last four to take a 5-1 lead in the series history. This weekend's contest will be the first matchup between the two softball programs since Feb. 15, 2009, when Oklahoma outlasted Texas State, 3-2, in Houston.
GETTING ON BASE
With its .432 on-base percentage heading into the weekend, the Texas State softball program ranks 32nd in the nation — out of 244 Division I softball programs having played at least one game this 2022 season — and third in the Sun Belt Conference.
Sara Vanderford and
Caitlyn Rogers have been a major driving force behind that percentage as the duo is posting .600 and .583 on-base percentages, respectively through four games this season. Additionally,
Kylie George is 14th in the nation — and second in the conference — with a 1.25 walks per game average.
THE LAST TIME …
Texas State's game against Oklahoma on Sunday, Feb. 20 will mark the first time the Bobcats have faced off against the No. 1 team in the nation since playing then-No. 1 Arizona State on Feb. 11, 2012, when the Sun Devils won 9-0 in the Arizona State Tournament. Coincidentally, current Texas State assistant coach
Scott Woodard was on the Arizona State coaching staff during that game. The contest also marked the first time Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard and her brother, Scott, faced off against each other.
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