Texas State baseball (19-20) is preparing to play back-to-back midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday night at Bobcat Ballpark. The Bobcats will play the second set of their annual home-and-home series against the University of Texas-Austin (33-5) Tuesday night, while Tarleton State (17-24) will come to visit Wednesday.
Tuesday: No. 1 UT-Austin
Probable Starting Pitchers: RHP Austin Eaton vs TBD
The Longhorns will be coming into Tuesday’s rematch as the highest-ranked team in the country. This upcoming match will be just the third time ever Texas State hosted the top overall team in the nation.
When the two initially met back on April 1st, UT-Austin was ranked No.5. So, what led them to moving up so significantly?
It’s simple: the Longhorns just kept winning in dominating fashion.
In-between the time the Bobcats defeated the Longhorns on April 1st to April 22nd, the Longhorns have played eleven games, having lost just one of them in extras to Kentucky. This stretch includes weekend sweeps against two Top 10 teams in the country, No.3 Georgia and No.8 Auburn.
UT-Austin’s offense has simply continued to mash at an alarming rate. It’s not really hard to see why: six players in their lineup (minimum of 2 plate appearances/game & played in 75% of the games) possess an OPS above .900. Catcher Rylan Galvan has been arguably the most dangerous Longhorn, who is currently slashing a .336/.497/.727 with an OPS of 1.224.
The Longhorns will be bringing all the momentum and certainly the motivation coming into the matchup. Texas State, on the other hand, will be climbing an uphill battle they have faced before.
The Bobcats aren’t strangers when it comes to playing up to their competition, having taken down multiple ranked power opponents earlier this season, most notably upsetting then-No.1 Texas A&M in College Station along with their win against UT-Austin earlier in April.
The offense is continued to be led by shortstop Ryne Farber and third basemen Chase Mora, the only two qualified players in the lineup with an OPS above .800. The lineup doesn’t solely revolve around their success, but their success is crucial if the Bobcats want a chance to sweep the Longhorns.
What ultimately helped the Bobcats prevail the last time was pitching. Austin Eaton is slated to start against the Longhorns. This will be Eaton’s biggest test on the mound this season since returning from an injury that sidelined him for a month. UT-Austin’s starter is currently undetermined at this time.
Tuesday’s matchup is expected to be a sold-out crowd, with first pitch slated to start at 6 p.m., with the game being available to stream on ESPN+.
Wednesday: Tarleton State
Probable Starting Pitchers: TBD vs TBD
Tarleton State is coming into San Marcos off a much-needed weekend series victory over Utah Valley. While they haven’t had much success over the course of the season, they are still a team to just not brush off due to their poor record.
As a team, they’re slashing .304/.394/.482, with three qualified hitters batting with an OPS above .900. Infielder Slade McCloud is one of the bigger threats on Tarleton State, batting .346/.399/.556 with an OPS of .955. They’re one of the best offenses in their conference, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
However, what holds them back considerably is their pitching staff.
Their overall team ERA is 6.81 with a WHIP of 1.72. Statistically, they are second to worst pitching staff in the WAC. However, that could be chalked up to the fact that the WAC is seemingly offensive friendly, with the lowest ERA in that conference being Sacramento State’s 4.54.
This will be the Bobcats and Texans third time ever meeting each other. They previously met last season in Stephenville, where the Bobcats narrowly won 2-1.
It is currently undetermined which pitchers are starting for both teams at this time. First pitch is slated to start at 6 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
