The Texas State Bobcats (45-13) are set to participate in the Bryan-College Station Regional this coming weekend with their first game set for Friday, May 17 at 3pm (central time) against the Penn State Nittany Lions (34-18). The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and for those who cannot attend the game in College Station, there will be a watch party here in San Marcos at Sean Patrick’s (202 E San Antonio St, San Marcos, TX 78666).
All time the Bobcats are 3-2 against the Nittany Lions with all three wins coming earlier this season as they pulled off a sweep in San Marcos after earning victories of 5-3, 2-1, and 6-0.
The Bobcats are coming off a Sun Belt Conference tournament win where they defeated Marshall, South Alabama, and Louisiana to earn the championship. Sara Vanderford was named the most outstanding player for the tournament, and she was also named to the all-tournament team along with fellow teammates Jessica Mullins and JJ Smith. This is the first time the Bobcats have won the Sun Belt tournament since 2018.
Offensively the Bobcats are led by Sara Vanderford who has a batting average of .360 with 48 RBI’s, 62 hits (24 doubles), and 11 home runs. Vanderford’s RBI’s, doubles, and home runs are all team highs for the Bobcats this season. Other Bobcats to highlight are JJ Smith (.308, 40 RBI’s, 44 hits, and 10 home runs, Hannah Earls (.366, 12 RBI’s, 74 hits, and 17 stolen bases), Anna Jones (.319, 31 RBI’s, 51 hits, and 2 home runs), Piper Randolph (.304, 31 RBI’s, 45 hits, and 5 home runs), and Karmyn Bass (.259, 34 RBI’s, 43 hits, and 3 home runs). To be honest, I could list every offensive player here because throughout the season the Bobcats had contributions from various players at various points in the season to help them earn their 45 wins. This is an explosive Bobcats team where anyone in the lineup can get hot and put the team on their back.
On the mound, the Bobcats are led by their ace Jessica Mullins. She is 30-7 on the season with an ERA of 1.31 and has 213 strikeouts in 229.1 innings pitched. Maddy Azua (9-5, 2.32 ERA, 76 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched), Tori McCann (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 14 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched), and Karsen Pierce (2-1, 2.97 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched) are also part of the regular rotation for the Bobcats.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a first-round loss to Maryland in the Big Ten Conference tournament and are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Offensively the Nittany Lions are led by Gaby Garcia who is batting .336 with 41 RBI’s, 48 hits, and 11 home runs. Other notable contributors to the offense include Maddie Gordon (.333, 38 RBI’s, 56 hits, and 11 home runs), Kaitlyn Morrison (.340, 26 RBI’s, 51 hits, and 5 home runs), Liana Jones (.307, 37 RBI’s, 43 hits, and 8 home runs), and Haylie Brunson (.245, 34 RBI’s, 39 hits, and 6 home runs).
The pitching staff for the Nittany Lions is led by Bridget Nemeth, who is 22-6 on the season with an ERA of 2.20 with 186 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched. Mady Volpe (8-8 with an ERA of 5.81 with 95 strikeouts in 100.2 innings pitched), Lydia Spalding (1-0 with an ERA of 6.98 with 10 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched), and Paige Maynard (3-4 with an ERA of 11.88 with 12 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched) round out the rest of the pitching staff for Penn State.
Game Notes
•Jessica Mullins surpassed 800 career strikeouts during the Sun Belt Conference tournament and currently sits at 812 career strikeouts.
•This is the 12th NCAA tournament appearance for the Bobcats and the 3rd time they will play in College Station. The other two seasons they played in the tournament in College Station were 2017 and 2012.
•The Bobcats are 11-21 overall in the NCAA tournament and the last time they played in the tournament, they lost to Texas A&M 4-2 in the Austin regional in 2023.
•The Nittany Lions qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 and they are 12-20 all time in the tournament.
•Tickets for the College Station regional tournament will go on sale Monday, May 13 at 10am and can be purchased by clicking here.
The full schedule for the College Station regional can be found below.
Friday, May 17, 2024
G1: No. 2 Texas State (45-13) vs. No. 3 Penn State (34-18) 3 p.m. (CT) ESPNU
G2: No. 1 Texas A&M (40-13) vs. No. 4 UAlbany (33-12) 5:30 p.m. (CT) ESPN+
Saturday, May 18, 2024
G3: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two 2 p.m. (CT) Broadcast TBD
G4: Loser of Game One vs. Loser of Game Two 4:30 p.m. (CT) Broadcast TBD
G5: Loser of Game Three vs. Winner of Game Four 7 p.m. (CT) Broadcast TBD
Sunday, May 19, 2024
G6: Winner of Game Four vs. Winner of Game Five Time TBD Broadcast TBD
G7: Rematch of Game Six (If necessary) Time TBD Broadcast TBD
Our cover photo for this article is used courtesy of Mandalyn Lewallen and you can follow her on Instagram by clicking here. Thank you, Mandalyn!
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