SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State softball heads back out on the road for a short trip to Austin for the Bevo Classic. The Bobcats will see Texas, Alabama and Wisconsin over three days in the Classic.
 
Texas State will open the tournament on March 10th at 11 am versus Wisconsin.
 
Texas State, which is coming off a 38-win campaign and narrowly missing an NCAA Regional as an at-large bid, was picked second in the Sun Belt coaches preseason poll. The Bobcats have finished in the conference's top three in the standings for three straight years, but the league has grown this year with three new teams: James Madison, Marshall, and Southern Miss.
 
This road trip is the last tournament the Bobcats will compete in before the start conference play at Troy on March 17th. Next up, as a final tune-up for conference play the Bobcats will host Texas Tech for a midweek doubleheader on March 14th inside Bobcat Softball Stadium.
 
Texas State goes into the Bevo Classic to face two nationally ranked teams, Texas currently sits # 9 in the nation and Alabama is #13. Wisconsin is the only weekend opponent not ranked but is on an eight-game win streak.
 
Wisconsin comes to the Bevo Classic holding a 10-6 record with losses to California Baptist, BYU, # 24 Oregon, #23 Ole Miss, and Louisville. The Badgers have not lost since Feb. 19^th. 
 
#13 Alabama comes into the tournament with a 17-3 record with losses to Lehigh. UCLA, and Kennesaw State. They sit at fourth place in the SEC standings while holding a six-game win streak.
 
#9 Texas, the hosts of the Bevo Classic, come to the tournament with a 17-2-1 record with the two losses coming to #8 Northwestern and #10/#12 Virginia Tech. The Longhorns have lost just one time at home in the 2023 campaign. Texas is currently 4^th in the Big 12 conference standings.


GAME NOTES:
Texas State returns 12 players (11 letterwinners) from last year's team, including former All-Sun Belt players Jessica Mullins (pitcher), Sara Vanderford (third base), Ciara Trahan (outfield) and Hannah Earls (shortstop). The Bobcats also return position players Claire Ginder, who played in all but one game last year, Anna Jones (52 games) and Piper Randolph (43 games). Offensively, the Bobcats return 61 percent of their RBI from last year (146 out of 238). 
 
In the circle, the Bobcats return Mullins, Karsen Pierce (26 appearances, 13 starts), Presley Glende (17 appearances, 3 starts) and Tori McCann (7 appearances, 2 starts). Texas State returns 98 percent of its innings pitched from last season.
 
Head coach Ricci Woodard will enter her 23rd season at the helm of Texas State softball.With 12 conference championships and 9 NCAA Regional appearances, Woodard enters the season with 762 career wins. Woodard is 28th among active Division I coaches in career wins and she has a shot this season to join the group of 26 active Division I head coaches with 800 career wins. Among the top-30 NCAA Division I head coaches in terms of career wins, Woodard is one of only 13 coaches to accumulate their wins at one school. Others: Patty Gasso (Oklahoma), Jana McGinnis (Jacksonville State), Holly Hesse (Missouri State), Fran Troyan (Lehigh), Mary Ellen-Hall (Houston Christian), Jane Worthington (Eastern Kentucky), Deanna Gumpf (Notre Dame), Patti Gerckens (UC San Diego), Brian Kolze (Pacific), Chris Cannata (Albany), Gordon Eakin (BYU) and Lisa Costello (Towson). 
 
Only entering her junior year, pitcher Jessica Mullins has entered Texas State's all-time top-10 in several career categories.

• T3rd in career ERA (1.69)
• 6th in career wins (56)
• 5th in career strikeouts (482)
• 8th in career appearances (98)
• 8th in innings pitched (447.0)
• T10 in shutouts (11)

 
Mullins was named the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Awards pick for PItcher of the Year. So far as a Bobcat Vanderford has been named Sunbelt Pitcher of the Week six times.
 
In addition to Mullins, third baseman Sara Vanderford is also climbing the Texas State career lists. The senior is 2nd in career batting average (.330), tied for 4th in career doubles (42), tied for 4th in career home runs (24), and tied for 6th in career RBI (112).
 
Hannah Earls has also made her way into the record book with 49 stolen bases, good to be tied for 6th on the all-time list.
 
Additionally, this is first basemen JJ Smith's first official game returning to her former school, Texas, since joining the Bobcats for the 2023 season.
 
Weekend Matchups
2023 Bevo Classic
Red & Charline McCombs Field | Austin, TX
 
Friday, Mar 10
vs Wisconsin – 11 am (CT)
 
Saturday, Mar 11
vs Wisconsin – 10 am (CT)
vs #13 Alabama – 12:30 pm (CT) - streamed on the Longhorn Network
 
Sunday, Mar 4
vs #9 Texas – 3 pm - streamed on the Longhorn Network