Texas State baseball is set to host Northwestern University in a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at Bobcat Ballpark.
Games on Saturday and Sunday are slated for 2:30 p.m. and 12:00 p.m., respectively.
The Bobcats are coming off their best season in program history. A 47-14 overall record led them to the Stanford Regional, where a heartbreaking walk-off loss ended their season.
Texas State is led offensively by senior outfielder Jose Gonzalez. Gonzalez was second on the team last year in home runs with 13 and was named to the Stanford All-Regional team for hitting three home runs in three games against Stanford.
After six lineup regulars left the team after last year, Gonzalez is the top returning hitter.
Northwestern had a 24-27 record in 2022 and a 10-18 record in road games. The Wildcats had a 1-3 record in games against ranked opponents, and Texas State spent most of last year ranked in the top-25.
Junior outfielder Ethan O’Donnell leads the way for the Wildcats’ offense. In 2022, O’Donnell batted .320, got on base at a .410 clip and hit 10 home runs.
Texas State’s probable starter for Friday’s matchup is junior pitcher Levi Wells. Wells, a preseason All-Belt selection, is currently the 49th ranked MLB Draft prospect according to mlb.com and threw 91 innings with a 3.07 ERA in 2022.
The Bobcats’ Saturday matchup will belong to senior pitcher Zeke Wood. Wood, also a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, had a 3.78 ERA in 88 innings last season.
Last season, nine different Northwestern pitchers made at least one start on the mound, and no pitcher on their roster had an ERA lower than 4.40.
Texas State will look to build off last year’s regular season success in the weekend series against Northwestern. The games will start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.