SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State plays in the opening game of the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Tuesday. The seventh seeded Bobcats face off with 10-seeded App State at 3 p.m. from Riverwalk Stadium in a single-elimination game.

The Bobcats concluded the regular season with a 26-29 record and were 14-16 in conference play while the Mountaineers come in with a 22-30 mark and 13-17 record in the Sun Belt.

Fans can watch all games of the Sun Belt Championship on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.

PROBABLY STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday: TXST RHP Bryson Dudley (4-1) vs. APP RHP Liam Best (2-4)

ABOUT TEXAS STATE
Texas State dropped five of its last seven games with victories coming against Georgia Southern and James Madison. Since joining the conference, the Bobcats are 11-16 all-time in the Sun Belt Championship but are just 2-8 over their last 10 games. The two victories came in 2022 (ULM) and 2023 (Georgia State).

Chase Mora was named to the all-conference second team at third base. He leads the team in batting average (.294), hits (63), RBI (44), runs (41), doubles (14) and home runs (8). The Tomball, Texas native has also swiped 12 bases, all coming in Sun Belt action. Ryne Farber has a team-high 16 stolen bases, the most by a TXST player since Dalton Shuffield also stole 16 in 2022. Farber has also hit four homers, 13 doubles, scored 40 runs and totaled 33 RBI.

Second on the team with five long balls is Alan Shibley. Hitting four home runs apiece has been Ian Collier, Coy DeFury, Zachary Gingrich and All-Sun Belt First Team selection as a utility player Austin Eaton.

Bryson Dudley is scheduled to start on Tuesday. It will be his second start of the season after also starting the series final at App State. The right-hander is 4-1 with two saves, a 4.79 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 41.1 innings over 23 appearances. Dudley is coming off a season-high 4.1 scoreless inning in the series opener against the Dukes. He has allowed just two runs, one of them earned, over his last 15 innings.

Out of the bullpen, Matthew Tippie has appeared in a staff-high 25 games. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 4.06 ERA and team-high 71 strikeouts over 44.1 innings. Carson Laws has recorded eight saves while going 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 36.0 innings in 22 contests.

ABOUT APP STATE
App State enters the tournament have gone 2-11 over its last 13 games. The Mountaineers are 6-18 when playing away from Boone with 5-10 mark against Sun Belt opponents.

Three batters are hitting over .300 led by Tyler Lichtenberger at .342. The freshman shortstop was named to the all-conference first team and chosen as the league's Freshman of the Year. He has also recorded 40 runs, 37 RBI, 13 doubles, seven stolen bases and three home runs. Joseph Zamora is batting .312 with 34 RBI while Kameron Miller is hitting .311 with 12 homers and 50 RBI.

Juan Correra leads the squad with 16 long balls and 58 RBI while batting .290. Scoring over 40 runs has been Braxton Church (41) and Tyler Figueroa (43).

Scheduled to take the hill on Tuesday is Liam Best. The right-hander is 2-4 with two saves, a 6.06 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 21 games, including six starts. He tossed three scoreless frames with four strikeouts in the second game of the series against the Bobcats. However, he has allowed 11 runs over his last 9.1 innings spanning three contests.

Jordan Fisher has earned five of the team's nine saves while going 2-1 with a 7.54 ERA and 31 punch outs. Jake Beaty has made 21 appearances on the mound while posting a 2-3 record, 7.24 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.

SERIES VS. DUKES
Texas State leads the all-time series 19-6 but App State has won the last four meetings. The Mountaineers swept the regular season series in Boone back in March and claimed the series finale in 2024 at Bobcat Ballpark. Tuesday will be the second-ever meeting in the Sun Belt Championship with the first seeing App State claim a 1-0 victory in 2021.

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