Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball, Baseball & Cross Country

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball, Baseball & Cross Country

Bobcats dominate in fourth consecutive sweep

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team (14-7, 6-1 Sun Belt) turned in its 18th consecutive Sun Belt Conference win at home and fourth straight sweep by dominating Georgia Southern (6-11, 1-5 Sun Belt) 25-10, 25-15, 25-13 Saturday at Strahan Arena.

“That was another all-around good match for us,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We hit .449 so you cannot complain about that and we kept Georgia Southern from getting in any kind of rhythm. We served well and had nine aces but if there is one thing we have to improve, it is our blocking, but that will come. It was just another solid game overall and glad about giving these great crowds wins to watch.”

The Bobcats turned in a season-high .449 hitting percentage and registered 49 kills on 89 swings with nine errors, marking the second time in three matches that they have registered less than 10 attacking errors. The Maroon and Gold had the advantage over the Eagles in most statistical measures including kills (49-23), hitting percentage (.449-.139), assists (41-22), digs (32-26) and aces (9-1). Both teams logged two blocks.

With the win, Texas State improves to 7-0 all-time vs. Georgia Southern and keeps its seven-match home winning streak in tack.

Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the charge offensively for Texas State with 13 kills on 22 swings with one error for a season-best .545 hitting percentage. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey registered 12 kills (.409) and matched her career-best five aces for the fourth time. Huskey also recorded four digs. Freshman outside Lauren Teske rounded out the top hitters with 10 kills (.400) and had one block and one assist. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt continued to play at a high level, handing out 36 assists and logging four kills, four digs, one ace, and one block, and junior libero Brooke Johnson finished with a team-high 11 digs and chipped in two assists and one ace.

Georgia Southern was led by senior outside hitter Carly Turner’s six kills and the team’s lone ace. Sophomore middle hitter Baylor Bumford (.444) and senior outside Ryan Tuten each had five kills in the loss. Bumford also had a match-high two blocks, including one solo. Sophomore setter Madison Brown led the team with 20 assists and had four digs, while junior libero Landon Jones finished with a match-high 12 digs.

Set 1
The Bobcats continued their offensive dominance by jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind five kills and would eventually build a 14-3 advantage before GS called their second timeout. Texas State could not be stopped however and took the opening set, 25-10. Although they did not have a single block in the set, the Bobcats hit .571 as a unit with 17 kills on 28 swings and one error.

Set 2
Texas State scored five unanswered points to open the stanza and held a 9-3 lead when Georgia Southern called for time. GS continued to fight but used their second timeout after TXST used a 3-1 run to increase the margin to 16-8. Although the Eagles kept the Bobcats honest, the home team separated themselves at the end and won the set 25-15.

Set 3
The Bobcats took control early in the third set and led 7-2 by the first pause in action. A 6-1 burst by TXST helped the team build an 11-point margin at 17-6 but GS responded by scoring six of the next eight points to bring the score to 19-12. That would be their last push as the Bobcats ended the match on another 6-1 scoring margin capped by a 4-0 burst to the finish line to win 25-13.

Texas State will conclude its longest home stretch in conference play next weekend with 6:30 p.m. matches vs. Troy (Oct. 18) and South Alabama (Oct. 19).

Smith Nets Lone Goal in Victory over Ragin’ Cajuns

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior Mackenzie Smith was at the right place at the right time as she followed up a rebound to score the lone goal of the match in the Texas State soccer team’s 1-0 victory over Louisiana on a chilly Friday evening at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.

The Bobcats improved to 7-5-2 on the season and 3-2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Ragin’ Cajuns fall to 6-5-3 overall and 2-2-2 in conference play.

Kaylee Davis attempted the first shot of the game late in the third minute that was blocked and went out for a corner kick. That would be TXST’s only shot until the 23rd minute, also coming from Davis and was blocked, as UL played a possession oriented match.

Early in the 26th minute, Davis used her speed to outrace Cajun defends and unleashed a shot from inside the box. UL’s Mackenzie Lee stopped the Allen, Texas native’s shot but Smith was there to knock the rebound home to put the Bobcats in front.

Texas State was held to just one more shot in the half, an attempt by Jessica Pikoff that went off a defender in the 41st minute. The Cajuns took four shots with all of them from distance. Only one was on frame and easily handled by Heather Martin.

Davis again used her superior speed to beat the defenders and unleashed a shot late in the 50th minute. However, it went just wide of the right post for a goal kick.

Another chance to increase the lead came from Madison Humphrey. A little over a minute after coming onto the field in the 66th minute, the freshman battled a UL defender and was eventually able to get by her with the ball that was caught by Lee near the bottom left corner.

Davis had two more looks in the second half. The first came late during the 79 minute when an attempted cross from the near side just cleared over the crossbar. With 30 seconds left on the clock, the senior forward was able to beat the defense again and placed a hard, low shot towards the bottom left corner, but was denied again by the goalkeeper.

The second half saw the Cajuns send seven players forward over the last 20 minutes to try and find the equalizer. The TXST backline held firm and allowed only long shot attempts, four of which were on goal, and easily controlled by Martin.

UL held possession of the ball 56% of the time, led 14-12 on shots and 7-6 in shots on goal. The visitor’s aggressiveness to find tie the match resulted in them being called for 12 fouls, 10 in the second half, to the Bobcats’ eight.

Davis led all players with a season-high seven shots attempts and placed three of them on goal. Jordan Kondikoff was the only other Texas State player with multiple shots with two, one of which was on frame.

Martin made a season-high seven saves on the night. The shutout was the fifth of the season and the 20th in her career. The Midlothian, Texas native’s career shutout total is tied for the 11th most in Sun Belt history with three former South Alabama goalkeepers.

Next up for Texas State is a trip to Coastal Carolina on Friday, Oct. 18 for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6881
Post Match Interview (Kat Conner): https://youtu.be/nszXy57gMUc
Post Match Interview (Heather Martin & Mackenzie Smith): https://youtu.be/sNbPHj-5oQQ

The sweepstakes continues, Bobcats defeat Panthers in straight sets

SAN MARCOS, Texas – In what was arguably its most sound night of volleyball this season, the Texas State volleyball team (13-7, 5-1 Sun Belt) registered its third consecutive sweep and eighth of the year by taking care of Georgia State (5-11, 1-4 Sun Belt) 25-10, 25-6, 25-17 Friday night at Strahan Arena.

“I told the kids that we are pretty good and steady right now but by November we still have to be better,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We have to keep making that climb and I think I saw signs of that in the first two sets. We dominated and had very few errors, in fact, only one through the first two. That was great, and we really had a great crowd tonight. I am glad that we did it on a special night as we raised money for breast cancer awareness.”

The Bobcats improved its home winning streak to six by setting the tone offensively with numerous standout performances. Five Bobcats logged a .400 hitting percentage or better and as a unit, the Bobcats hit .429 while holding the Panthers to a -.012 percentage. TXST takes an 11-2 advantage in the all-time vs. GSU and has won the last eight meetings.

Freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske led the Bobcats in kills for the third time this season. The Schertz, Texas native landed nine kills (.412 hitting percentage) followed by junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott’s eight kills and .438 attacking percentage. Scott also paced the team with five blocks. Sophomore Jillian Slaughter hit a match-high .778 after turning in seven kills on nine errorless kills. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt logged a match-high 29 assists and recorded four digs, three kills, two aces and two blocks, including one solo block. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey led the team with 11 digs and three aces to go along with six kills and four blocks, and junior libero Brooke Johnson finished with 10 digs and one ace.

Georgia State’s senior outside hitter Morgan Hash and junior middle hitter Meisheia Griffin led the team with five kills apiece, while junior setter Jordan Shoemaker paced the offense with 15 assists and added six digs and one block. Sophomore libero Lauren Bandera led the defense with 11 digs, and junior right side Dzemila Hadzic, freshman DS Ryan Spicer-Gordon and freshman DS Jillian Kilgroe all tallied one ace.

Set 1
The Bobcats created a 13-4 margin behind a massive 10-0 run that forced the Panthers to burn through both of their timeouts early. GSU had no answers as TXST continued to show its dominance and won the set 25-10. Scott hit .667 with three kills on six errorless swings to lead all players.

Set 2
Texas State followed the first set with another fast start and led 11-1 by the time Georgia State used both of its timeouts. The Bobcats held the Panthers to just six points and registered just one error in the frame. The Cats led by as many as 17 points and DeWalt sealed the stanza with a solo block to win it 25-6.

Set 3
The Bobcats started the third frame with the lead, but despite a 9-8 advantage, the home team called their first timeout of the night to slow down a Panther 4-3 burst. After exchanging points, The Bobcats ripped off a 5-1 run to go ahead 15-10, forcing a GSU timeout. Texas State never looked back and scored 10 of the final 17 points to secure the sweep with a 25-17 victory.

Next up for the Bobcats is a 6:30 p.m. match Oct. 12 vs. Georgia Southern at Strahan Arena.

Soccer Hosts Louisiana Friday Night

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Only one match is on tap for the Texas State soccer team (6-5-2, 2-2-1 Sun Belt) this weekend when it hosts Louisiana (6-4-3, 2-1-2 Sun Belt) on Friday. The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.

Live stats will be available for the match while no video stream will be provided.

Last Weekend
The Bobcats picked up their first two wins in Sun Belt Conference play with shutout victories over Appalachian State (2-0) and ULM (5-0). Kaylee Davis and Jordan Kondikoff netted two goals apiece and Madison Humphrey scored her first collegiate goal against the Warhawks. Also during the match in Monroe, Hannah Solano assisted on two of the tallies which tied for the third most in a match in program history.

Scoring against the Mountaineers came on an own goal and a second half tally from Renny Moore. Both Davis and Solano were credited with assists on the junior’s goal.

Heather Martin made a combined six saves on the weekend and earned both shutouts. Her victory between the posts at ULM was the 30th overall in her career, just the second Bobcat ever to reach the mark.

#Goals2Cure
The 2019 season sees head coach Kat Conner and the Texas State soccer team raise money for the fight against ovarian cancer through the Goals2Cure initiative. Goals2Cure is a charitable initiative whose mission is to promote ovarian cancer awareness and to raise funds in support of women fighting ovarian cancer.

The Bobcats are collecting pledges for each goal they score this season with donations going directly to benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. The link to donate is www.pledgeit.org/goals2cure2019.

Sun Belt Offensive POTW
Davis was selected as the Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of the Week after her performance on the pitch against APP and ULM. Overall, she finished with two goal and one assists while taking 10 shots and placing six on goal. Her second goal against the Warhawks was the 30 of her career as she became the fourth TXST player to reach the mark and is currently tied for third in program history with Lynsey Curry. For Davis, it was her second weekly honor this season and the sixth in her Bobcat career.

Senior CLASS Award
The 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award was released on Monday with both Davis and Martin being on the list. They are the first players in program history to be named candidates for the award. The duo are part of four players from a Lone Star State program on the list.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Scouting Louisiana
The Ragin’ Cajuns won both of their matches last weekend at home. They began with a 1-0 double overtime victory over Appalachian State and followed with a 3-1 contest against Coastal Carolina on Sunday. Two draws have come against Little Rock (1-1) and South Alabama (0-0) with the lone loss being 1-0 at Arkansas State. When playing on the road, LA is 2-3-2 with a 0-1-1 mark against Sun Belt foes.

Skyla Sykes paces the team with four goals, three of which have been match-winners. She has taken 18 shots and placed 11 on goal, the second most on the squad.

Netting three goals apiece has been Karleen Bedre, Gwen Mummert and Una Einarsdottir. Bedre paces the Cajuns with four assists and 10 points while ranking second with 23 shot attempts. Einarsdottir leads LA with 25 shots and 12 shots on goal while Mummert is 2-for-2 on penalty kicks.

Both Telly Vunipola and Katherine Whitman have netted two goals each.

Credited with three assists is Rachel Sutter. Ashley Newland comes in with two assists to her name.

Mackenzie Lee has started all 13 matches in goal. The senior has a 1.31 GAA having surrendered 18 goals while sporting a .695 save percentage with 41 stops. Victoria Mendes has made one appearance off the bench, totaling 30:52 against Southern and not having to make a save.

All-Time vs. Ragin’ Cajuns
Texas State leads the all-time series 6-1-0 over Louisiana and have won the last five meetings. Last season, the Bobcats won 2-1 in double overtime on the road when Ally Kewish scored the match-winner with just over two minutes left on the clock.

When hosting the Ragin’ Cajuns, TXST is 3-0-0 all-time. The last meeting at the Bobcat Soccer Complex was on Oct. 8, 2017. That day saw the Bobcats come out on top 3-0 behind goals from Rachel Grout, Kassi Hormuth and Moore.

The lone loss in the series for Texas State came in the first meeting as Sun Belt opponents on Oct. 18, 2013 in Lafayette. The Cajuns walked off the pitch that day with a 5-2 victory.

Pledge Goals2Cure: https://pledgeit.org/goals2cure2019
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=265952
TXST Match Notes: https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/10/9//2019_Soccer_Match_Notes_Week_8.pdf

PREVIEW: Texas State looks to stay hot vs. Georgia schools

SAN MARCOS, Texas – After a three-match roach trip, the Texas State volleyball team (12-7, 4-1 Sun Belt) returns to the confines of Strahan Arena for a pair of matches this weekend.

The Bobcats will start with a 6:30 p.m. serve vs. Georgia State Oct. 11, and wrap-up the three-match week with a 6:30 p.m. match vs. Georgia Southern Oct. 12. The Georgia State match will serve as Texas State’s annual Pink Game.

FOLLOW ALONG

ESPN+ vs. Georgia State and Georgia Southern – PxP: Brant Freeman, Analyst: Mick Haley
Listen vs. Georgia Southern – 89.9 FM KTSW (San Marcos)
Live Stats vs. Georgia State –Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. Georgia Southern – Statbroadcast

SETTING THE SCENE

• Texas State started the week with its second consecutive sweep of the season after topping UT Arlington Tuesday night. Since the Bobcats came up short vs. Arkansas State last weekend, they not only have swept the next two matches but have not trialed in a single set in either match.
• TXST still leads the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 4-1 record.
• The Bobcats enter the weekend with a five-match home winning streak and are 8-2 in the last 10 matches. The Bobcats are also ranked No. 59 in the first RPI rankings of the 2019 season.
• Though TXST ranks No. 8 in the Sun Belt with a .192 hitting percentage overall this season, they have been dominant offensively since the start of league play and ranks No. 3 in the conference with a .249 clip. They have also held their conference counterparts to a .113 attack percentage that tops the league and sits in the top five in aces (1.94/set, No. 2), blocks (2.17/set, No. 3), digs (16.00/set, No. 4) and assists (11.56/set, No. 5).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey’s 3.35 kills per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 0.47 aces per set (No. 4 in the Sun Belt; 31 total) leads the Bobcats. She also adds 2.11 digs per set and has 30 total blocks.
• Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.64 kills per set and has 32 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage at .323 (No. 5 in the Sun Belt) behind 102 kills and has 60 blocks, including nine solos. Scott’s 1.07 blocks per set rank No. 2 in the Sun Belt.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.67 assists set which sits No. 5 in the conference. DeWalt also adds 2.45 digs per set, 38 kills, 25 blocks and 20 aces this year.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begin with sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 88 kills with a .242 hitting percentage to go along with 51 blocks (seven solos), and three aces. In conference matches only, Slaughter ranks No. 5 in the league with 1.12 blocks per set.
• Junior libero Brooke Johnson puts up a team-best 2.50 digs per set and has 54 assists and eight aces in 2019. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.13 digs per set and 13 aces this season. Dinwiddie has 1,621 career digs and is 26 digs shy from becoming the program’s all-time leader.

SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE

• Georgia State is 1-4 in its last five matches and is 0-3 on the road this season. The Panthers are 0-3 in three-set matches and 3-5 in four-set matches this season. However, they are 2-2 in five-set matches in 2019.
• GSU split a pair of matches last weekend. After taking down South Alabama in five sets for it first conference win, they dropped a 3-1 decision vs. Troy.
• Defense is the strength of this Panther team as they lead the league with 2.15 blocks per set and hold their opponents to a .177 hitting percentage (No. 4). Offensively, they rank No. 9 in assists (11.10/set) and aces (1.20/set), No. 10 in kills (11.75/set) and No. 11 in hitting percentage (.155).
• Senior outside hitter Sydney Stroud leads the Panthers with 2.73 kills per set and adds 42 total blocks. Junior middle hitter is an all-around solid player, averaging 2.05 kills per set (123 total) and has 12 aces. Griffin’s biggest contributions are at the net where she leads the Sun Belt Conference with 1.17 blocks per set and totals 70 blocks, including 10 solos.
• Senior middle Madelyn Ott is the efficient hitter on the roster with a .348 hitting percentage this season ranking No. 3 in the conference and leads the league in conference-only matches with a .433 clip. Ott averages 1.91 kills per set.
• Freshman setter Kampbell Hehr hands out 7.25 assists per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and junior right side Dzemila Hadzic leads the team with 0.33 aces per set (20 total).
• Sophomore libero Lauren Bandera is a huge part of the Panthers’ defense prowess as her 4.66 assists per set ranks No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN

• Georgia Southern has one win in its last six matches and are 1-5 on the road this season. The Eagles are 1-3 in conference play after picking up its first conference victory vs. Troy (3-1) last weekend before falling to South Alabama in straight sets.
• GS is another defensively sound unit, ranking No. 4 in blocks at 1.98 per set and digs 15.08 per set. They also rank No. 7, giving up .190 opponent hitting percentage. On offense, the Eagles enter the weekend ranked No. 8 in aces per set (1.23), No. 9 in hitting percentage (.185) and No. 11 in kills per set (11.09) and assists per set (10.28). Since conference play, GS leads the league with 2.57 blocks per set but ranks last in hitting percentage (.127), assists (8.86 /set) and kills (9.50/set).
• Sophomore outside hitter Maddie Bryant leads the Eagles’ hitter with 2.96 kills per set. She also has 2.45 digs per set, 26 total blocks and 10 aces on the year.
• Senior outside Carly Turner and freshman right side Mya Wilson follows with 2.66 and 2.45 kills per set, respectively. Turner adds 15 blocks and six aces, and Wilson has 32 blocks this season.
• Sophomore middle Baylor Bumford leads the team with 43 blocks this year and a .263 hitting percentage. She has a total of 74 kills and eight aces. Since Sun Belt play began, Bumford leads the league with 1.43 blocks per set and No. 3 with a .383 attack percentage.
• Sophomore setter Maddison Brown leads the Eagles with 9.17 assists per set (No. 6 in the Sun Belt) and 15 aces. She also averages 2.32 digs and has 19 aces. Junior libero Landon Jones also ranks No. 6 in the league with 4.30 digs per set to go with her 34 assists and 11 aces.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bobcats are a combined 16-2 vs. Georgia State and Georgia Southern. TXST is 10-2 all-time vs. Georgia State and are on a seven-match winning streak and are a perfect 6-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Georgia Southern.
• Texas State took care of Georgia State on the road in straight sets last year led by Huskey’s 10 kills and DeWalt’s double-double (29 assists, 15 digs) on Oct. 6, 2018.
• The Bobcats defeated the Eagles 3-1 on October 5, 2018 behind three Bobcat players who finished with double-digit kills, including Huskey’s 12. DeWalt put up 46 assists and 10 blocks.

Bobcats flex in second-straight sweep

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team (12-7, 4-1 Sun Belt) picked up where they left off as they turned in their second consecutive sweep after topping UT Arlington (10-7, 2-3 Sun Belt) 25-14, 25-21, 25-10) Tuesday night at the College Park Center.

“I am extremely proud of this team tonight,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We were solid all the way around in every single position.”

The Bobcats never trailed for the second consecutive match as they dominated the first meeting of 2019 vs. the Lady Mavs. Texas State hit .207 in the match and had six aces but dominated defensively with 11 blocks and held their opponent to a season-low -.067 attack percentage. Although the Maroon and Gold still trail in the all-time series (40-41), they have won nine consecutive matches head-to-head, including back-to-back sweeps.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey led all players with 12 kills and had four digs, followed by an efficient .533 clip from sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald who had 10 kills on 15 swings and two errors. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt finished the night with 26 assists and had five blocks and one ace, and for the first time this season, senior DS Rylie Fuentes led the back row with eight digs. Junior middle Tyeranee Scott had a team-high six blocks and sophomore DS Kaylie Koenen had a match-high two aces.

Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Townsend led the Lady Mavs with eight kills followed by senior middle blocker Madison Hill’s six kills. Freshman setter Jessica Stancliff paced the offense with 22 assists and senior outside Kylie Jedlicka had a match-high 10 digs.

Set 1
The Bobcats came out of the gates on fire and forced the Lady Mavs to burn their first timeout thanks to a 4-0 run that put the visitors ahead 10-4. The Bobcats would not let up, however, and led by as many as 13 points and cruised to a 25- 14 win to open the match. Texas State hit .324 in the set and was led by Huskey’s six kills.

Set 2
UTA fought tough in the second set and after being down 7-4, the Lady Mavs scored three of the next four points and eventually was locked in an 11-all set with Texas State. The Bobcats responded with four unanswered points to bring the score to 15-11 as UTA called for time. It did not help much though as the run continued on the other side of the break and TXST built an 18-11 margin. The Lady Mavs made another late push behind a 5-0 burst, but the Bobcats were able to escape the comeback with a 25-21 win.

Set 3
Texas State took a commanding 12-0 lead and never looked back. UTA put together an 8-3 run, but the Bobcats scored nine of the final 11 points to win the set 25-10.

Texas State returns to the confines of Strahan Arena for four consecutive matches beginning with a 6:30 p.m. serve Oct. 11 vs. Georgia State and a 6:30 p.m. match Oct. 12 vs. Georgia Southern.

Davis Selected Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week

NEW ORLEANS – Senior forward Kaylee Davis was selected as the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week after help lead the Texas State soccer team to two victories this past weekend. It is the second weekly honor this season and sixth in her Bobcat career.

The Allen, Texas native finished the week with two goals, one assist, 10 shots and six shots on goal. Davis scored twice at ULM for her eighth career brace, all coming against Sun Belt opponents. She netted the match-winner in the 5-0 contest against the Warhawks for her 12 career match-winning goal in a Bobcat uniform, the eighth most in Sun Belt history.

Her two goals last Friday gave her 30 in her TXST career. She is the fourth player to reach the mark and is tied for third in program history with Lynsey Curry (2012-15).

Davis followed with an assist in a 2-0 victory over Appalachian State on Sunday. It came on an insurance goal by Renny Moore in the 53rd minute.

The senior and the rest of the Bobcats return to action this Friday at the Bobcat Soccer Complex when they host Louisiana at 7 p.m.

Non-Conference 2020 Baseball Series

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team will play four non-conference series during the 2020 season prior to the start of Sun Belt Conference play. Three of the series will take place at Bobcat Ballpark.

TXST opens up the 2020 season at home with a four-game series against Stony Brook. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Bobcats and the Seawolves and the first against an America East Conference program.

Last season, Stony Brook was 31-23 overall, went 15-9 in conference and won the America East Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. The Seawolves were sent to the Baton Rouge Regional and dropped both games to Arizona State and LSU.

Feb. 21-23 will see Texas State take on Lamar in San Marcos. It will be the first meeting between programs since 2012. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 39-29 and are 19-14 in San Marcos, but the Bobcats are 5-1 when facing them in Bobcat Ballpark.

Lamar went 18-36 last season and were 9-21 in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals had two players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft with JC Correa, brother of Houston Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa, deciding to return for his senior season.

The lone non-conference series away from San Marcos takes place Feb. 28-Mar. 1 with a trip to face Houston. It will be the first time the programs have played a series at Schroeder Park since 2012. The Cougars lead the all-time series 28-17 and are 23-9 when hosting TXST. The Bobcats have won the last two meetings including a 9-4 game at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park last season.

Houston completed the 2019 campaign with a 32-24 record and went 12-12 in the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars had five top 25 wins last season that included a win at Texas A&M a week after Texas State’s victory over the Aggies. UH had five players selected in the MLB Draft.

The final non-conference series will be held Mar. 6-8 in Bobcat Ballpark against Bethune-Cookman. It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams and TXST’s first time playing an opponent from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Wildcats will be making their first trip to the state of Texas since 2010 when they played in an early season tournament at Texas Tech.

Last season, BCU was 17-38 overall, 10-14 in conference and just missed out on qualifying for the MEAC Tournament. The Wildcats won four games against Power 5 conference opponents with two each over Boston College and Ohio State.

The Sun Belt Conference series will be released later this week.

2020 Schedule: https://txstatebobcats.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball

PREVIEW: Bobcats, Lady Mavs set for in-state battle

SAN MARCOS, Texas – In what will be its final mid-week match in the regular season, the Texas State volleyball team (11-7, 3-1 Sun Belt) concludes a three-match road trip vs. UT Arlington (10-6, 2-2 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

FOLLOW ALONG

• Watch at UT Arlington –utamavs.com
• Live Stats at UT Arlington – Statbroadcast

SETTING THE SCENE

• Despite splitting last weekend’s matches, Texas State still sits atop the west division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 3-1 record. The Bobcats fell short at Arkansas State in five sets after trailing 0-2 but responded with a quick sweep at Little Rock.
• UT Arlington and Arkansas State are locked in a tie with a 2-2 record after Arkansas State swept last weekend including a 3-0 victory vs. UTA.
• The Bobcats are 8-2 in their last 10 matches and have swept their opponent in five of their last seven victories.
• Though TXST ranks No. 8 in the Sun Belt with a .192 hitting percentage overall this season, they have been dominant offensively since the start of league play and lead the conference with a .256 clip. They have also held their conference counterparts to a .144 attack percentage (No. 3 in the Sun Belt) and sit in the top three in aces (1.93/set, No. 2) and digs (16.93/set, No. 3).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey’s 3.32 kills per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 0.49 aces per set (No. 4 in the Sun Belt; 31 total) leads the Bobcats. She also adds 2.14 digs per set and has 28 total blocks.
• Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.59 kills per set and has 31 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage at .324 (No. 5 in the Sun Belt) behind 99 kills and has 54 blocks, including eight solos. Scott’s 1.02 blocks per set are tied at No. 2 in the league.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.71 assists set which sits No. 5 in the conference. DeWalt also adds 2.54 digs per set, 37 kills, 20 blocks and 19 aces this year. The Helotes, Texas native has recorded a double-double in each of the first four conference matches.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begin with freshman outside Courtney Heiser who has 2.12 kills per set, sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 86 kills on a .258 hitting percentage, 46 blocks, and three aces, and junior libero Brooke Johnson who puts up a team-best 2.56 digs per set. Johnson also has 52 assists and seven aces in 2019. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.20 digs per set to go along with 13 aces. Dinwiddie has 1,619 career digs and is 28 digs shy from becoming the program’s all-time leader.

SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON

• UT Arlington is 10-6 on the year and has a 2-2 Sun Belt record after splitting the first two weekends in conference play. Last weekend, the Lady Mavs split their trip in Arkansas. They swept Little Rock to begin the trip but fell in three sets at Arkansas State.
• Overall, UTA ranks No. 2 in the league in assists (12.02/set) and kills (13.10/set) and rank No. 5 in hitting percentage (.216), opponent hitting percentage (.179), blocks (1.88) and digs (15.02). They rank 10th with 1.08 aces per set.
• Since beginning conference play, the Lady Mavs lead the league with 13.14 assists per set and ranks No. 2 in hitting percentage (.254), kills (14.14/set) and digs (17.00/set). They have struggled to block, however, as they average 1.64 per set (No. 9 in the Sun Belt) and conference opponents have hit .208 (No. 7 in the Sun Belt).
• Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Townsend leads the Lady Mavs with 3.70 kills per set which ranks No. 4 in the conference. She has also recorded 1.67 digs per set, 27 total blocks and five aces this season.
• Senior outside Kylie Jedlicka is next with 2.90 kills per set and senior middle blocker Madison Hill follows with 2.27 kills per set to round out the top hitters. Jedlicka paces the team with 20 aces (0.34/set, No. 10 in the Sun Belt) and defensively adds 2.54 digs per set and 15 total blocks.
• Sophomore middle blocker Bre Walp, who ranks No. 3 on the team with 107 total kills, leads the Lady Mavs with 60 total blocks and has four aces. Walp’s 1.02 blocks per set ranks No. 3 in the league.
• Freshman setter Jessica Standiff steers the ship with 6.13 assists per set and has 1.63 digs per set and nine aces. Sophomore setter Kylee Kapp averages 4.96 assists and has 1.66 digs per set and six aces, and junior libero Madelyn St. Germain leads the team defense with 4.53 digs per set (No. 3 in the Sun Belt) and has 13 aces in 2019.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bobcats trail in the all-time series vs. the Lady Mavs 39-41 but have won the last eight matches and are 9-1 in the last 10 meetings.
• Texas State swept the season series last year, including a 3-0 victory at the College Park Center Nov. 9, 2018, to close the regular season.
• In the last meeting, Fitzgerald hit a career-high 19 kills on 26 swings and one error (.692) and finished with two blocks. DeWalt posted a double-double with 36 helpers and 12 digs.

Six Bobcats finish in top 100 at Chili Pepper Festival

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Texas State cross country women’s team placed 18th and the men finished 20th at the 31st annual Chili Pepper Festival at Argi Park Oct. 5. There was a total of 593 collegiate participants in the event (315 men and 278 women).

Both teams had three runners finish inside the top 100. The women averaged an 18:46.26 time with 501 points in the 5K race with a field of 27 teams and the men averaged 25:48.84 in the 8K race with 565 points competing against 32 teams.

Junior Tina Sierra led the charge for the women, finishing 73rd with an 18:18.4 time. She was followed by junior Sydney Cole and freshman Riley McGrath who timed out at 18:23.9 and 18:28.3 for 81st and 84th-place finishes, respectively. Rounding out the scorers for the Bobcat women were senior Abby Steinhauser (No. 101, 18:41.3) and senior Sarah Godfrey (No. 162, 19:59.4).

Junior Justin Botello led the Bobcat men for the second consecutive meet with a 25:09.5 time placing 57th.  Senior Johen Deleon finished 63rd (25:14.1), followed by junior Cade Michael who jumped 56 spots from his one-mile mark to place 98th with a time of 25:38.5. Sophomore Chase Bracher placed 169th with a 26:28.0 time and junior Owen McGlothlin completed the Bobcats’ top five with a 179th finish and 26:34.2 time.

Texas State will have one more competition Oct. 19 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas before heading to Hampton, Georgia for the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships.