The Bobcats (20-6) are set to take on James Madison University (16-7) in a three-game series that kicks off today at 12pm (CT). Today’s start time has been adjusted due to inclement weather conditions.
GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday March 15 – 12pm (CT)
Saturday March 16 – 12pm (CT)
Sunday March 17 – 10am (CT)
The Bobcats are currently on a six-game winning streak and are coming off of a three-game sweep of Penn State University in a series where pitcher Jessica Mullins threw a perfect game. The Bobcats earned rankings in the Softball America (#24) and D1 Softball (#25) and received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and USA Softball/ESPN polls. They currently sit atop the standings in the Sun Belt Conference as conference play begins this week. Texas State and James Madison has played each other a total of three times with the Bobcats up on the series 2-1.
Jessica Mullins improved to 11-2 on the season over the weekend sweep and earned career wins number 79 and 80, which tied her for third place all-time in career wins for the Bobcats. Her ERA currently sits at 0.62, with 84 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched this season. She was also named the Sun Belt Conference pitcher of the week for the third straight week in a row. Maddy Azua (4-3, 2.15 ERA, 39 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched) and Karsen Pierce (2-1, 1.36 ERA, 17 strike outs in 25.2 innings pitched) are also part of the regular rotation for the Bobcats.
Offensively this season has been a team effort as the Bobcats have had several different players chip in when it comes to getting wins. You can see proof of that if you just take a look at the series against the Nittany Lions last week. Anna Jones and Hannah Earls each had four hits and three RBI’s in the series. Karmyn Bass had two hits and three RBI’s, JJ Smith had two hits and one RBI, Sara Vanderford had three hits, Piper Randolph and Katarina Zarate each had two hits while Megan Kelnar and Emilee Baker each had one hit. In addition, Ciara Trahan had one RBI.
On the season the Bobcats are led by Sara Vanderford who is batting .373 with 18 RBI’s (team high), 28 hits, and a team leading 4 home runs. Other Bobcats to highlight are Ciara Trahan (.350, 10 RBI’s, and 28 hits), Hannah Earls (.382, 34 hits, and 18 runs scored), Anna Jones (.329, 19 RBI’s, and 20 hits), Karmyn Bass (.267, 20 RBI’s, and 20 hits) and Piper Randolph (.321, 13 RBI’s, 17 hits, and 2 home runs).
JMU participated in the Weiler Orthodontics Tournament last weekend and won all four games that they played after picking up two wins over Binghamton and a win each against Radford and Saint Joseph’s. They are tied for the lead in homeruns with Troy in the Sun Belt with a team total of 26 homeruns and last weekend they outscored their opponents by a margin of 43-6.
JMU is coached by Loren LaPorte who is in her seventh year of coaching the team. She has an overall record of 213-81 and the team is currently fourth in the Sun Belt standings heading into this series against the Bobcats.
Offensively JMU is led by Reed Butler who is batting .395 with 22 RBI’s, 30 hits, and 6 homeruns. Other notable contributors to the offense include, KK Mathis (.377, 22 RBI’s, 29 hits, and 4 homeruns), Jasmine Hall (.373, 15 RBI’s, 28 hits, and 3 homeruns), Bella Henzler (.370, 11 RBI’s, 30 hits, and 4 homeruns), and Hallie Hall (.346, 13 RBI’s, 18 hits, and 2 home runs).
The pitching staff for JMU is led by Alissa Humphrey, who is 6-2 on the season with an ERA of 1.30 with 56 strike outs in 48.1 innings pitched. Kirstin Fleet (4-0, 2.58 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched) and Payton List (5-4, 3.33 ERA, 35 strike outs in 42 innings pitched) are also part of the regular rotation. List is a two-way player and has 5 RBI’s, 5 hits, and 2 homeruns in 20 at bats.
Season stat comparisons can be found below.
Weekend Notes:
•Vandy Homer Watch: Sara Vanderford has 33 career home runs and trails Ariel Ortiz, who has 39, for all-time leader.
•Vandy RBI Watch: Vanderford has 157 career RBI’s and also trails Ariel Ortiz, who has 164, for all-time leader.
•Hannah Earls has 72 career stolen bases, which is currently third all time, and trails Haley Gaddis (79) and Kristen Zaleski (128) on the all-time career list.
•JMU is undefeated at home with a record of 8-0, while the Bobcats hold a road/neutral record of 9-1.
Bobcats Insider 
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