SAN MARCOS, Texas – The final home weekend of the season will see 15th-ranked Texas State (38-11, 20-4 Sun Belt) host Louisiana (30-17, 17-7 Sun Belt) for a three-game series at Bobcat Ballpark. Friday's opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday is slated to being at 4 p.m. with the Bobcats' seniors being honored prior to the game while Sunday's finale sees first pitch at 1 p.m.
 
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ with Brant Freeman and Ty Harrington on the call. Fans can also catch the contests on KTSW 89.9 FM and live stats will be available.
 
PARKING FOR SERIES
With commencement also taking place the first two days of the series, fans are encouraged to park in the football stadium lot behind right field. Charles Austin Drive will be closed both days between Aquarena Springs and Jowers Access Road. Other parking options can be found at this link: Parking Map
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: TXST RHP Zeke Wood (5-1) vs. UL LHP Brandon Talley (3-2)
Saturday: TXST RHP Levi Wells (6-1) vs. UL RHP Jacob Schultz (3-3)
Sunday: TXST RHP Tony Robie (2-0) vs. UL RHP Jeff Wilson (4-2)
 
RANKED!
For the ninth consecutive week, Texas State is ranked and is in all six major polls for the first time since Apr. 8 The Bobcats moved up in Baseball America (#16), Collegiate Baseball (#12), D1Baseball (#15), NCBWA (#17) and USA Today (#19) polls while reentering the Perfect Game poll at 24th.
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
Pacing the Bobcats at the plate is Dalton Shuffield as he leads the team in batting average (.387), runs (63), hits (75), doubles (15), triples (5) and stolen bases (12). He also has hit 10 home runs and driven in 40 runs. Jose Gonzalez comes in having driven in a team-high 46 runs while hitting .301 with 13 doubles, seven homers and swiped nine baes. Also hitting over .300 with nine stolen bases is Justin Thompson (.337).
 
Daylan Pena has recorded 43 RBI while batting .387. Leading the team with 12 home runs is John Wuthrich.
 
Friday will see Zeke Wood take the mound and he enters with a 5-1 record, 2.92 ERA and team-high 73 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .165 average. Levi Wells, the reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, will start on Saturday and is 6-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Slated to make his second straight Sunday start is Tony Robie, who is 2-0 with a 4.99 ERA and has struck out 33.
 
Tristan Stivors comes into the weekend with a team-high 12 saves. The senior sports a 6-1 record, 29.5 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. Triston Dixon shares the Sun Belt lead with eight victories. He holds a 2.00 ERA to go along with 52 strikeouts. Also making 20 relief appearances has been Matthew Nicholas (1-1, 2.57 ERA).
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA
Earlier this week, Louisiana defeated Rice on the road in two midweek contests. The Ragin' Cajuns are coming off a series sweep of UT Arlington at home in which all the victories were by a run. On the road, UL is 14-7 with an 8-4 mark in conference contests.
 
Carson Roccaforte leads the team with a .367 average, 61 hits, 55 RBI and 13 home runs. Heath Hood enters batting .336 with 33 runs, 28 RBI and 11 doubles while Connor Kimples has recorded a .337 average, eight homers and five triples. Also batting over .300 is Julian Brock (.321).
 
As a team, the Cajuns are 111-for-142 stealing bases. Pacing the squad is Max Marusak and Roccaforte with 19 swipes apiece. Also with double-digit steals is Kyle DeBarge (13) and Tyler Robertson (18).
 
Getting the ball on Friday will be Brandon Talley. The lefty is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 58 innings of work. Right-handers Jacob Schultz (3-3, 49 K) and Jeff Wilson (4-2, 47 K) will start on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
Both Chipper Menard (4-1, 4.43 ERA) and Talley have earned a team-high three saves. Others to pick up a save have been Kae Hammond (2-0, 3.13 ERA) and Dylan Theut (1-2, 3.34 ERA). The top pitcher out of the bullpen is Bo Bonds. The sophomore right-hander leads the team with 63 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. He sports a 2.61 ERA with a 3-2 record over 18 contests, 17 of which he has come on in relief.
 
SERIES VS. RAGIN' CAJUNS
Louisiana leads the all-time series 24-18 but Texas State has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Last season saw the Bobcats win the series on the road but fall to the Cajuns in pool play of the Sun Belt Tournament.
 
When hosting UL, TXST is 7-6 all-time. This weekend will be the first meeting between the teams in San Marcos since 2018. That series saw the Bobcats drop the series opener but win the last two contests. In 2018, Texas State also eliminated the Cajuns from the conference tournament that was played in Lafayette, Louisiana.
 
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