SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sun Belt Conference play begins this weekend as Texas State (9-8) hosts App State (11-4) for a three-game series at Bobcat Ballpark. Friday's series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and Saturday's contest is slated for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch. The series finale will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Fans can watch the entire series on ESPN+ with Brant Freeman and Ty Harrington on the call. Live stats will also be available to follow along.
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHER
Friday: TXST RHP Austin Eaton (1-1, 5.17 ERA) vs. APP RHP Bradley Wilson (1-1, 7.71 ERA)
Saturday: TXST RHP Sam Hall (0-1, 4.73 ERA) vs. APP RHP Jackson Steensma (2-0, 2.37 ERA)
Sunday: TXST RHP Drayton Brown (0-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. APP RHP Dante Chirico (3-0, 5.00 ERA)
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats enter conference play on a two-game winning streak after defeating HCU and Tarleton State in midweek action. The team is 6-3 all-time in Sun Belt openers and have posted a 19-8 record in the first league series. TXST has recorded opening series sweeps four times (2014, 2016, 2018, 2022).
 
Ryne Farber continues to lead the team with a .413 batting average, which is the sixth highest in the Sun Belt and seventh among freshman in the nation. He also paces the squad with 26 hits, 19 runs, 12 walks and a .525 OBP while driving in 15 runs.
 
A team-high six home runs have been hit by Aaron Lugo. The junior has also driven in and scored 16 runs while hitting .333. Chase Mora leads the Bobcats with 19 RBI and both he and August Ramirez have hit three round trippers.
 
Getting the ball to start on Friday is Austin Eaton, who is 1-1 with a 5.17 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. Sam Hall will start on Saturday and enters with a 0-1 record and 11 punch outs over 13.1 innings. Drayton Brown will make his second straight Sunday start and leads the team with 15 strikeouts.
 
ABOUT APP STATE
The Mountaineers have also won their last two games with both coming on the road. They have recorded a weekend sweep of Siena, won series at ETSU and Gardner-Webb and split a series at Winthrop. APP will play its first true road game on Tuesday against Queens.
 
Banks Tolley leads the squad with a .349 average while scoring 19 runs and driving in 18. Both he and CJ Boyd (24 R, 17 RBI) have hit six homers. A team-high 19 RBI belongs to Austin St. Laurant, who has scored 19 times, hit four home runs and two triples.
 
Scheduled to start on Friday is Bradley Wilson. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA and staff best 23 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. Jackson Steensma takes the rubber on Saturday and has recorded 20 strikeouts in 19.0 frames while posting a 2-0 record and 2.37 ERA. Rounding out the rotation is Dante Chirico, who has struck out 22 and is 3-0 with a 5.00 ERA.
 
SERIES VS. THE MOUNTAINEERS
Texas State leads the all-time series with App State 17-2. The last meeting came in a three-game series in Boone on Apr. 1-3, 2022, that the Bobcats swept. The only two losses to the Mountaineers came in the 2021 Sun Belt Tournament and the series finale on the road in 2019.
 
When hosting APP, TXST is 6-0 all-time having recorded two series sweeps. This weekend will be the first time the teams have played in San Marcos since 2018. The teams were scheduled to play at Bobcat Ballpark in 2020 but saw the series and the rest of the season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
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