Texas State softball (19-6) is set to travel to Conway, South Carolina, this weekend to take on Coastal Carolina (24-6) in a battle of the two teams with the highest overall winning percentages in the Sun Belt.
“It’s going to take consistency on all parts [to win]. We’re going to have to keep the ball in the yard and have to swing the bats well,” Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard said. “[Coastal] isn’t an easy place to play, so we’ve got to go in and play our game and not get caught up in anything else.”
Texas State is coming off a sweep of Appalachian State and a midweek victory over Wichita State, while Coastal dropped their first conference series of the year to Troy but rebounded with a 9-0 shutout of North Carolina-Wilmington in their latest midweek match.
It’s going to be strength vs strength this weekend, as the Bobcat pitching will get perhaps their biggest test to date against Coastal’s high-powered offense. As a team, Coastal is batting .312 with a .948 ops. Across from them, Texas State’s pitching staff carries a 2.19 ERA, which ranks 17th in the country.
On offense, Coastal is led by senior first baseman Georgia Hood. Hood is hitting an astounding .440 through 29 games so far. Along with her batting average, Hood has a .539 on-base percentage and has hit eight home runs. Keeping her contained will be key for Bobcat pitching.
Junior third baseman Delaney Keith is also a bat the Bobcats will have to keep in check, as she is hitting .386 with a team-leading 13 homers. As a team, Coastal has already hit 42 home runs. Keeping them in the yard is a must for the Bobcats this weekend.
Fortunately for Woodard, she possibly has the best 1-2 punch in the Sun Belt when it comes to starting pitching. Maddy Azua and Emma Strood have made a case for the title of best duo in the conference so far.
Azua is currently 10-2 with a 1.54 ERA and 93 K’s in her 77 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, Strood is not far behind Azua’s performance as she is 8-3 on the year with a 2.42 ERA with 69 K’s in 63 2/3 innings. If there is a duo that can slow down the Coastal offense, it’s Azua and Strood.
Offensively for the Bobcats, the biggest threat at the plate is Aiyana Coleman. Coleman leads in just about every offensive statistic there is. She leads the team with a .407 batting average, 1.417 OPS, .898 slugging, .519 OBP and eight home runs.
Texas State and Coastal Carolina are set to begin their series at 5 p.m. on Friday at St. John Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. The game will be streaming on ESPN+.
