No. 23 Texas State softball (25-3 overall, 8-0 Sun Belt) winners of 18 straight, will look to continue its dominance as they host conference rival, the University of South Alabama Jaguars (18-12 overall, 6-4 Sun Belt) from April 9-11.
Texas State has tied the record for the longest win streak in program history and is looking to pass the mark in its first contest against the Jaguars on April 9.
The Maroon and Gold are coming off a 7-6 win against Texas A&M on April 6 when sophomore infielder Sara Vanderford hit a walk-off double to tie the record and give the Bobcats their first win over A&M since 2010.
The Bobcats hold a commanding 14-2 record versus the Jaguars all-time, including a 5-2 victory in their last matchup on February 7, 2020.
Southern Alabama is fresh off a 3-0 loss to Troy University on April 7 and will now head down to San Marcos for the weekend series against the Bobcats.
Vanderford is putting up eye-popping numbers this year. She is first in the Sun Belt in batting average (.488), slugging percentage (.925) and doubles (14) while leading the team in RBIs (29) and tied for the team lead in home runs (seven).
Senior infielder Tara Oltmann is enjoying similar success, batting .400 while tying Vanderford with seven home runs and is one shy of her RBI mark with 28.
The freshman duo of utility Hannah Earls and outfielder Piper Randolph causing trouble against opposing pitchers and catchers, combining for 20 steals on 23 attempts, consistently creating more Bobcats’ scoring opportunities.
South Alabama leads by committee, with senior utility Kamdyn Kvistad leading the team in home runs (six) and slugging percentage (.625) while junior infielder Kennedy Cronan leads in RBIs (19). Five Jaguars have double-digit RBI totals.
The Maroon and Gold’s pitching staff has been productive, combining for a 1.82 earned run average and only allowing 50 runs in the first 28 games. Freshman pitcher Jessica Mullins highlights this group, leading the team in strikeouts (99) and wins (12).
The first game of the series will be at 6 p.m on April 9., followed by 2 p.m. April 10 and 12 p.m. April 11, all taking place at Bobcat Stadium. These games will be streamed on ESPN+.
