Alex Valentin will start on the mound for the Texas State Bobcats (16-16, 6-6 Sun Belt) in a matchup against the No. 23 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (22-11, 8-4 Sun Belt) at Bobcat Ballpark Friday at 6 p.m.
For Friday’s pitching battle, J.B. Middleton will take the mound for the Golden Eagles. Middleton is 5-1 so far this season with 56 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA. Valentin is 4-2 so far this season with 37 strikeouts and a 3.35 ERA.
On Saturday, Jesus Tovar will start on the mound for the Bobcats, and Grayden Harris will start for the Golden Eagles. Tovar has obtained 38 strikeouts this season and a 3.58 ERA, while Harris has put up 24 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA.
While the Golden Eagles starting pitcher is still TBD, the Bobcats have Shane Connell slated to close out the series on Sunday.
The Bobcats are coming off a 6-2 win against Baylor on Tuesday, and a series win against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns this past weekend.
This past weekend the Golden Eagles fell to Marshall in two of the three series games. The Golden Eagles are coming off of a 6-10 loss against Alabama on Tuesday.
Ryne Farber leads the Bobcats in batting average (.306) and hits (37). Hitting a team-leading four home runs, Chase Mora has also obtained a team-leading 20 RBI. For fielding, Ian Collier leads in putouts (123).
For the Golden Eagles, Jake Cook leads in both batting average (.368) and hits (42). Carson Paetow leads in home runs (10), while Ozzie Pratt leads in RBIs (33).
Following Friday’s game, the Bobcats will face the Golden Eagles on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. All three games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
