Texas State softball (33-10 overall, 14-6 Sun Belt) will start its last home series of the season against the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks (16-29 overall, 9-11 Sun Belt) May 6-8 in San Marcos.
The Bobcats will enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament following the series, currently sitting at No. 3 in the conference.
The Bobcats are coming into the matchup after a 2-1 series win against Troy University. The Mavericks also enter on a high note, having recently ended their four-game losing streak when they grabbed their own 2-1 series victory over Appalachian State University.
Throughout the Bobcats’ 2021 campaign, sophomore infielder Sara Vanderford has been a dominant presence on the plate. Vanderford leads the Sun Belt in slugging percentage (.774) and home runs (10). She also leads the team in batting average (.411), hits (51), RBI (38) and on-base percentage (.461).
Senior infielder Tara Oltmann has been the Bobcats’ second strongest hitter behind Vanderford. Oltmann is second on the team in batting average (.325), hits (39), RBI (36), slugging percentage (.617) and home runs (nine).
Freshman utility Hannah Earls continues to wreak havoc on the basepath, accumulating 19 stolen bases in 22 attempts, an 86% success rate.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Jessica Mullins has a 17-6 record, with a 1.76 earned run average and 152 strikeouts.
For the Mavericks, senior infielder KJ Murphy is second in the Sun Belt in batting average (.422) and hits (57), with six home runs and 31 RBI. Mavericks sophomore outfielder Reagan Hukill is second on the team in home runs (five) and fourth in RBI (18).
The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. on May 6, followed by 5:30 p.m. on May 7 and 12 p.m. on May 8. All three games will be at Bobcat Softball Stadium and will air on ESPN+.