SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State softball hosts its first Sun Belt foe of the 2024 season. The Bobcats will play three games with App State between Friday, March 22  and Sunday, March 24. The first game will begin at 6 pm on Friday, with the whole series streaming on ESPN+.
 
Last time these two teams met, the Bobcats won the series with three wins in Boone. The Bobcats have an 8-3 record at home all-time against the Mountaineers.
 
The Bobcats are currently 2-1 in conference play, sitting in third in the conference.
 
ABOUT THE BOBCATS:
Texas State goes into the weekend with a 23-7 record coming off a win. Over #14 Texas A&M. The Bobcats are ranked No. 25 by D1 Softball and No. 19 by Softball America's poll. The Bobcats are also receiving votes in the USA Today and ESPN polls. Texas State sits with the highest RPI in the Sun Belt, at No. 9.
 
Leading the offense for the Bobcats going into the week is Hannah Earls who's batting .362. She has 38 hits, 20 runs and 4 RBI in 105 at-bats. Sara Vanderford is also helping the Bobcat offense with a .352 batting averaging as she's good for 31 hits, 22 runs and 24 RBI in 88 at-bats. Ciara Trahan is batting .333 and Anna Jones rounds out the top of the lineup with a .346. 
 
Jessica Mullins has been the Bobcats ace pitcher this season with her 0.94 ERA. She has pitched 104.1 innings so far this season with 103 strikeouts, seven earned runs, 13 walked batters and just 13 extra-base hits allowed. She has tossed eight complete games included one perfect game.  
 
ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS:
App State comes into conference play on a six-game win streak. The Mountaineers bats are hot with at least six runs in each of their last six games. They are now 15-10 on the season and led by 7th year head coach Shelly Hoerner who is in her 7^th season with the program and has a 155-152 record.
 
The Mountaineers have four players hitting over the .350 mark this season including Kayt Houston (.460), Peyton Darnell (.373), Abby Cunningham (.364), and Grace Barrett (.352). Houston is leading the Mountaineers offense with 40 hits, 31 runs and 24 RBI in 87 at-bats. 
 
Pitching for the Mountaineers is likely to be Sejal Neas. She has 13 appearances and 13 starts for the Mountaineers this season. She has a 2.93 ERA with eight complete games. She's pitched 67.0 innings, allowing 65 hits and 37 runs. She has 57 strikeouts so far this season and batters average .248 against her.
 
App State is currently ranked 1st in the conference with their 3-0 record.
 
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will head back out on the road for four straight road games, including a conference play series at South Alabama. On March 26 the Bobcats will play at Sam Houston before heading to Mobile. The Bobcats three game series with South Alabama will start on March 28.