Texas State baseball (33-20, 15-12 Sun Belt Conference) enters the final series of the 2023 season against the University of Louisiana-Monroe (16-35, 5-21 Sun Belt Conference) hoping to change its fortune and snap a four-game losing streak that has stalled its momentum.
The Bobcats are coming off a series sweep at the hands of Louisiana-Lafayette and a mid-week 8-2 loss on the road to TCU Tuesday night. 
The Warhawks have been off-track as well, with five consecutive losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and Southern Miss.
This matchup could not come at a better time for Texas State considering its recent struggles. Louisiana-Monroe has had numerous difficulties this season. The Warhawks are being out-hit by opponents .255 to .299, and are sporting a run differential of –153.
The Bobcats enter the weekend batting .271 as a team, and carry a run differential of +34.
Texas State has a chance to avoid a first-round single-elimination game in next week’s Sun Belt Championship tournament by sweeping the Warhawks. They are currently ranked seventh in the Sun Belt standings, and need to break into the top six for a chance to get the bye.
With hitters like freshman stand out second baseman Chase Mora batting a strong .323 and 49 RBIs and junior short-stop Davis Powel carrying a blistering .350 average and 29 RBIs, anchoring the lineup the Bobcat offense has a great opportunity to capitalize on a ULM pitching staff that has an ERA of 7.25, and an opponent BA of .299.
The Texas State pitching staff is led by junior right hand pitcher Levi Wells. Wells has 11 starts on the season, and carries an ERA of 4.79 with a record of 7-3 and leads the team in strikeouts with 85.
The Warhawks have handed the ball to their strike out leader, junior right hand pitcher Nicholas Judic, 20 times this year, 18 of those appearances have been out of the bullpen. ULM Head Coach Michael Federico leans on Judice to bail his team out of tight situations.
The Bobcats will be playing host to the Warhawks this weekend which bodes well for them. Texas State is 23-6 at Bobcat Ballpark, while the Warhawks have struggled on the road this season with a record of 6-14 in opponents’ ballparks.
The first pitch between Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18 at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.