Texas State baseball (11-13, 3-3 SBC) is preparing for its biggest conference test yet. After winning their last three out of four games, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (18-7,4-2 SBC), who sit third in the conference, are set to head to San Marcos for a weekend series.
The Bobcats look to extend their home game win streak to four in hopes of taking down the number two team in the conference. After a halted game Wednesday vs Incarnate Word, the Bobcats are seeking a bounce back from Tuesday’s loss at UTSA.
The team sparked a late run comeback against UTSA, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the lead as the Roadrunners won 12-9. First base Chase Mora, catcher Theo Kummer and third base Justin Vossos were the players who had home runs.
After two years of not playing this tough Coastal Carolina team, the Bobcats may be in for a rocky ride. The last time these two teams played was March 25, 2023, when the Bobcats won 10-8.
Coastal Carolina won six of its last eight games and is looking to improve its series record against Texas State, which sits at 11-6. The Chanticleers rank second in batting average at around .330. Five players who played at least 18 or more games averaged above a .300 batting average. Walker Mitchell and Dean Mihos both lead the team in batting average with .344.
As for their ops, the Chanticleers rank fourth with .853. The Bobcats are 10th with a .743. Ty Dooley is also a name to have a radar on as he is second on the team in batting average and OPS. With a .339 batting average and 1.042 ops this season, the senior infielder had two hits, an RBI and a run against Texas State back in March 2023.
The Chanticleers are first in ERA in the Sun Belt Conference with 3.84. A good reason for that is their two RHP pitchers Jacob Morrison and Riley Eikhoff, who both have 31 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.60.
Morrison will start against LHP Alex Valentin on Friday. LHP Jesus Tovar will face RHP Cameron Flukey on Saturday. RHP Jackson Teer vs. Eikhoff is scheduled for Sunday.
Coastal Carolina was successful Tuesday, taking down the No. 6 Clemson Tigers in an 8-2 victory, scoring six runs in the third inning.
Despite the loss to UTSA, the Bobcats are coming off a weekend sweep against a conference rival and hope to repeat the same performance this weekend.
The first pitch will be Friday, March 28, at 6 p.m. This game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
