SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the first time this season, Texas State (12-9, 2-1 Sun Belt) hits the road for a weekend series in Sun Belt Conference play. The Bobcats will make the long haul to take on James Madison (13-8, 1-2 Sun Belt) at Veterans Memorial Park.
 
Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and Saturday's contest is slated to begin at 2 p.m. CT. The finale is set to start at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday.
 
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHER
Friday: TXST RHP Austin Eaton (1-1, 5.17 ERA) vs. JMU LHP Jaden Kinsler (3-1, 3.27 ERA)
Saturday: TXST RHP Sam Hall (0-1, 4.73 ERA) vs. JMU LHP Max Kuhle (1-1, 4.95 ERA)
Sunday: TXST RHP Drayton Brown (0-1, 2.77 ERA) vs. JMU TBA
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats come into the weekend having won five of their last six games with the latest being an I-35 rivalry win over UTSA on Tuesday. TXST began conference play with a series win over App State.
 
Daylan Pena, this reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, has been swinging a hot bat. Over his last five games, he is batting .556 (10-for-18) with five home runs, 17 RBI and seven runs scored. For the season, the junior is hitting .365 with seven doubles, six homers and a team-high 24 RBI.
 
Hitting a team-high .370 with 21 runs scored is Ryne Farber. The freshman is the toughest batter to strikeout in the conference as he does so once every 18.3 at-bats. Also hitting over .300 is Alec Patino, who has also contributed 18 runs, 11 RBI and a .456 on-base percentage.
 
Lugo enters with six round trippers and 17 RBI, and Chase Mora has driven in 22 runs and scored 17 times. They have recorded four and three stolen bases, respectively.
 
Slated to start the series opener is Austin Eaton, who enters with a 2-1 record, 3.97 ERA and 18 strikeouts in a team-high 22.2 innings. Sam Hall (0-1, 4.08 ERA, 11K) will get the ball on Saturday and Drayton Brown (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 18 K) is scheduled to start Sunday's finale.
 
ABOUT JAMES MADISON
The Dukes enter the weekend having dropped two straight and five of their last seven games. Tuesday saw them fall 9-5 on the road against Maryland. The only wins in the last seven games were against Niagara and at Coastal Carolina last Saturday. When playing at home, JMU is 9-1 with sweeps of Cornell and Fairfield and midweek victories over Niagara, Virgnia Tech and VMI.
 
Four Dukes are batting over .300 led by Wyatt Peifer at .338. Coleman Calabrese comes in hitting .325 with 18 runs scored, 18 RBI and seven home runs. A team best eight homers, seven doubles, 22 runs and 19 RBI belong to Brendan O'Donnell (.319 AVG). Fenwick Trimble enters hitting .305 with 16 RBI, three home runs and is 6-for-6 stealing bases.
 
Friday will see Jaden Kinsler get the ball. The lefty is 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22.0 innings. He has made six appearances but just one start, which came last weekend in Conway. Max Kuhle is scheduled to start on Saturday and comes in at 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA and team-high 27 strikeouts over 20 frames. Sunday's starter is still to be announced.
 
SERIES VS. THE DUKES
This weekend will be the first-ever meeting between James Madison and Texas State. The Dukes will be the last of the four newest Sun Belt members that the Bobcats will face after taking on Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss last season.
 
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