Two Texas State Softball Players Garner NFCA All-Region Accolades

Rupp, Ortiz and the Bobcats have earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA College Station Regional and will face No. 3 seed Texas in the Regional’s opening game at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Texas State’s Randi Rupp and Ariel Ortiz have garnered National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region honors, the association announced Thursday.

Rupp earned first team honors and Ortiz second team.

The NFCA All-Region honor is Rupp’s third in as many seasons after picking up second-team nods as a freshman in 2015 and sophomore in 2016.

Ortiz’s selection to the second team is the second of her career after also earning second team honors in her freshman season of 2015.

The All-Region honors are the 21st and 22nd earned by Bobcats under the direction of head coach Ricci Woodard (since 2001).

Rupp’s first team plaudit is the fifth in program history as she joins Kristen Zaleski (2003 & 2004) along with Chandler Hall (2009) and Alex Newton (2009) as Bobcats to earn the honor.

Rupp, who is also the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Sun Belt selection, boasts a 1.19 ERA, including a 0.95 ERA in conference games, while posting 312 strikeouts in her 246.2 innings in the circle.

In addition to owning the league’s top ERA and most strikeouts, Rupp led the conference in batters struck out looking (88) and wins (27). Her 312 strikeouts and 11 shutouts rank fifth in the NCAA, while both her 27 wins rank seventh.

This season Rupp, who earned a league-best four Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week nods along with a NCFA Pitcher of the Week and ESPNW National Player of the Week honor, has eclipsed the 700, 800, and 900 career strikeout milestones.

She became just the second Bobcat in program history with 900-plus strikeouts on April 30 as part of a career-high 15-strikeout, one-hit performance against Troy.

The Mont Belvieu, Texas, native’s season has also featured 10 double-digit strikeout performances and two separate 25.0-plus shutout innings streaks.

Ortiz, who was also named a First Team All-Sun Belt honoree, has proven to be the Bobcats’ top hitter this year as she leads the team in nearly every offensive statistical category. She is hitting .343 with 15 home runs, 15 doubles and 47 RBI in her 169 plate appearances.

The Waxahachie, Texas, native ranks among the Sun Belt’s top-10 in batting average (.343), doubles (15), total bases (122), slugging percentage (.772), hits (58), RBI (47) and home runs (15).

Her power at the plate has made her the Texas State’s all-time home run leader with 33 after belting 12 as a freshman, six as a sophomore and a TXST single-season record 15 this year.

She broke the TXST career homer record with an inside-the-parker at South Alabama on April 8. She then set the single-season mark with her 14th and 15th of the year in April 29 doubleheader against Troy.

Rupp, Ortiz and the Bobcats have earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA College Station Regional and will face No. 3 seed Texas in the Regional’s opening game at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19.

The game can be viewed live on the Longhorn Network and the WatchESPN platform.

2017 NFCA ALL-CENTRAL REGIONAL