Texas State baseball (7-5) will face North Dakota State (1-11) this Friday at Bobcat Ballpark in the first game of a three-game series.
The Bobcats returned home from a four-game series on the road to host UTSA on Wednesday night, losing 11-2. Coming off of this loss they will vengefully look to dominate North Dakota State, of the Summit League.
Although Texas State saw a couple of pitching duels in its series against Grand Canyon last week, NDSU’s so-far-low offensive efficiency should allow the Bobcats to break the series open with hits.
Thriving for the Bobcats is senior outfielder Jose Gonzalez. With a batting average of .385, 15 hits, and five home runs, he has continued to solidify himself as one of the booming batters of the season. Along with Gonzalez, hard hitters for the Bobcats include sophomore infielder Daylan Pena with 12 hits and four home runs and junior catcher August Ramirez with nine hits and three bombs.
The Bison have had trouble at the plate early this season, charting a total of 56 runs compared to their opponents’ collective 99. With just one win recorded on the season, they will look to step up to the challenge of facing the Bobcats on the road with their heaviest hitters.
Leading the Bisons is senior outfielder Terrell Huggins with a .378 batting average over 45 at-bats. Following closely behind him on the offensive charts is junior outfielder Cadyn Schwabe with a .348 average over 46 at-bats. This duo holds the power to get runners on base early, but leaving runners on base will be the Bisons’ real challenge to overcome Friday night.
On the rubber for Texas State, senior pitcher Zeke Wood showed leadership early last week when he threw five shutout innings against Grand Canyon’s prestigious offense. His ERA sits at a respectable 2.63 over 13.2 innings. Notably, MLB prospect Levi Wells’ ERA still tops the charts for the Bobcats, at .77 over 11.2 innings.
NDSU’s pitching staff has struggled as a collective this season. Each of its pitchers who have thrown nine or more innings holds an ERA of 6.00 or higher.
The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 10, at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos.