HATTIESBURG, Mississippi – Texas State softball is set for its final road slate of the 2024 regulars season. The Bobcats will head to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a three-game series with Southern Miss. 
 
The games will be Friday, April 26 at 6 pm, Saturday, April 27 at 2 pm and Sunday, April 28 at noon. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Last time these Bobcats faced the Golden Eagles, Texas State won 4-2 in April 2023 in San Marcos. They won both games of the series last season after a weater-related cancellation of game one.
 
The Bobcats have a 3-0 record all time against Southern Miss. The Bobcats have never gone to Hattiesburg.
 
ABOUT THE BOBCATS:
Texas State goes into the weekend with a 37-12 record coming off a four wins, including a series sweep over conference foe ULM. Texas State is ranked #24 in the nation with a 16 RPI ranking, the second highest in the Sun Belt Conference. Texas State is second in the Sun Belt rankings, following only behind Louisiana.
 
Leading the offense for the Bobcats going into the week is Hannah Earls who's batting .363. She has 62 hits, 31 runs and seven RBI in 168 at-bats. Sara Vanderford is also helping the Bobcat offense with a .352 batting averaging as she's good for 51 hits, 38 runs and 37 RBI in 145 at-bats. Rounding out the top of the order are Piper Randolph who's batting .333 and Anna Jones batting .326.
 
Jessica Mullins has been the Bobcats ace pitcher this season with her 1.08 ERA. She has pitched 195.0 innings so far this season with 180 strikeouts, 30 earned runs, 40 walked batters and just 24 extra-base hits allowed. She has tossed 16 complete games including one perfect game. She also has three saves on the season.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES:
Southern Miss comes into the week with a 20-23 record and a 8-10 conference record. They will face Ole Miss in the midweek coming off three losses to Louisiana. 
 
The Golden Eagles have two players batting over .300 this season. Hannah Borden leads the way with a .393 batting average, she has 55 hits, 28 runs and 41 RBI on the season. Jana Lee has a .333 average with 12 runs on 34 hits and 23 RBI in 102 at bats.
 
Loganne Steppe is is likely to be pitching for Southern Miss. She has 18 appearances and 17 starts for the Golden Eagles this season. She has a 5.79 ERA with two complete games. She's pitched 60.2 innings, allowing 67 hits and 42 runs. She has 37 strikeouts so far this season and batters average .286 against her.
 
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will end the regular season back in Bobcat Softball Stadium. They will face the Marshall Thundering Herd in a three game series May 2-4. On May 3 the Bobcats will honor graduating 5^th year players Sara Vanderford and Tori McCann. 
 
After the weekend series the Bobcats will prepare for the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, which will be hosted in San Marcos this season.