Texas State baseball (15-10, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference) is gearing up for its third Sun Belt Conference series this weekend, following a triumphant road series victory against James Madison University.
The Bobcats showcased their prowess by clinching games one and two before narrowly missing out on the finale on Sunday. While the team has been on a winning streak, there are still areas that could use some fine-tuning. Here are three key insights from the team’s journey so far:
Offense is becoming consistent
The Bobcats’ bats are finding consistency. One of the main concerns early in the season for the Bobcats was their inability to find consistency at the plate. This issue was magnified during a sweep from Sam Houston State at home, which saw Texas State only score five total runs the whole series. Since that weekend, the Bobcats have scored over 10 runs in five of their last ten games. Texas State currently has five players hitting over a .300 batting average. This kind of success at the plate will have to continue as the Bobcats face more formidable conference opponents.
The unexpected emergence of a sophomore pitcher
Sophomore pitcher Sam Hall is the ace on the mound. The second-year transfer from Panola College has found his footing on Friday nights, and his outing against James Madison last weekend highlighted this. The righty threw a complete nine-inning game, allowing only four hits and one run to the Dukes.
Hall has a 3.04 overall ERA and a 1.25 ERA versus conference opponents, which is eleventh-best amongst all Sun Belt pitchers. His Friday night status will continue to be tested all year, but so far, he has passed with flying colors.
Mora is in the midst of a sophomore slump
Sophomore second baseman Chase Mora is in a slump. While the bats have heated up for the Bobcats, Mora has, unfortunately for the Bobcats, not been a part of that trend. Mora is hitting just a .263 batting average this season and has been trending down since his impressive performance in the Astros Foundational Classic, where he had six hits and ten RBIs.
This past weekend versus James Madison was rough one for Mora as he had just three hits in 13 at-bats with one RBI. Those numbers aren’t horrendously bad, but for a player like Mora, they are certainly a step down from his usual production. Texas State will need to get more out of Mora throughout the season if they want to make a serious postseason run.
