Softball | 3/11/2016 12:00:00 PM

TEXAS STATE SERIES GAME NOTES

BEGINNING THE LONE STAR LONG HAUL
The Georgia Southern softball team will take to the road again this weekend, beginning a stretch of nine games over an eight day span on a tour that will take them through the state of Texas. The Eagles open the trip by traveling to San Marcos to take on the Texas State Bobcats in a three-game series, opening the 2016 Sun Belt Conference slate for both programs. The Eagles and Bobcats open the series with a 5 p.m. ET single game on Saturday, Mar. 12. The two squads will wrap up the weekend with a doubleheader on Sunday, Mar. 13 beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

The Eagles will then head off to College Station for a Tuesday doubleheader at No. 12/10 Texas A&M. The twinbill against the Aggies will get started at 2:30 p.m. ET. Georgia Southern will close out the Lone Star State long haul by participating in the 2016 Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic hosted by Texas Tech in Lubbock. To start the tournament, the Eagles are scheduled to play the host Red Raiders on Thursday, Mar. 17 at 7 p.m. ET and Boise State on Friday, Mar. 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET. GS will close out its time in the tourney on Saturday, Mar. 19 by playing the Broncos again at 1:30 p.m. ET and Texas Tech at 4 p.m. ET.

FACILITY INFO
This weekend's Sun Belt Conference opening series will take place at Bobcat Softball Stadium (1,000 capacity). The address is 225 Charles Austin Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666.

Live stats and live video will be available through Texas State.

SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
Texas State enters the weekend 17-5 overall and on a six-game winning streak, including a 9-5 win over then No. 24 Texas to kick off the streak. The Bobcats then went on to sweep through the USF-Under Armour Invitational picking up wins over Purdue, host South Florida, Penn, Detroit and IPFW. So far this season, the Bobcats have run-ruled five teams.

The Eagles and Bobcats have faced off on the softball diamond five times dating back to 1999 with Texas State claiming all five matchups.

Ariel Ortiz and Kelli Baker lead the way at the plate for Texas State. Ortiz, a sophomore shortstop, is currently batting .369 for the season to go along with a .508 slugging percentage and .423 on-base percentage. She has scored 10 runs so far and has 24 hits, six doubles, a home run and 16 runs batted in. Her six doubles leads the team while her 16 RBI is tied for tops on the team with Corrina Liscano. Liscano leads the team with four homers and a .596 slugging percentage. Baker leads the team with 18 runs scored, 25 hits, two triples and six stolen bases.

In the circle, sophomore Randi Rupp has been the work horse for the Bobcats with 17 appearances, including 13 starts. The right-hander boasts a 1.51 earned run average, an 11-3 record and two saves while throwing six complete games. She leads the team with 104 strikeouts compared to just 21 walks and opponents are hitting .197 against her. The Bobcats' other two pitchers, Quincy Charleston and Paige Williams, have made nine and 10 appearances respectively. Charleston enters the series with a 1-1 record and a 2.25 ERA while Williams is currently 5-1 for the season with a 2.78 ERA.

TXST Roster
TXST Schedule
TXST Stats

UP NEXT
Georgia Southern will continue the Lone Star long haul by traveling to College Station for a Tuesday doubleheader at No. 12/10 Texas A&M. The twinbill against the Aggies will get started at 2:30 p.m. ET.

YEAR NO. 5
Georgia Southern head coach Annie Smith is in her fifth season at the helm of the Eagles. Her tenure in Statesboro has taken the Eagles to new heights with two SoCon Regular Season Championships and two SoCon Tournament Championships as well as overseeing the transition to the Sun Belt Conference in Smith's four previous seasons. During her tenure, Smith has advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice (2012 and 2013) as the Eagles have quickly made a name for themselves within the regional and national landscape.
 
Smith has an overall career record of 134-117. In 2014, she became the fastest coach in Georgia Southern history to reach 100 career wins when her team posted a 4-0 victory over Appalachian State on April 5.
 
Smith joined Georgia Southern with 16 years of experience as a collegiate assistant coach, serving at Missouri for six seasons before heading to Mississippi State for nine years, handling all aspects of the program. In 2006, Smith was promoted to associate head coach of the Bulldogs.

RANDOM STATS AND NOTES
Career Games Started - by position (active)
A.J. Hamilton: 189 total - 189 C
Emily Snider: 126 total - 126 OF
Morgan Robinson: 123 total - 123 1B
Taylor Rogers: 95 total - 67 OF; 28 DP
Alesha Mann: 70 total - 31 2B; 32 SS; 7 DP
Michelle Mazur: 44 total - 42 3B; 2 DP
Kierra Camp: 30 total - 30 P
Rowan McGuire: 24 total - 24 DP
Heather Felt: 14 total - 14 P
Hannah Farrell: 19 total - 19 3B
Lydia Witkowski: 19 total - 16 OF; 3 INF
India Davis: 16 total - 15 2B; 1 SS
Dixie Raley: 10 total - 10 P
Macy Weeks: 7 total - 4 DP; 3 OF
Haley Carter: 3 total - 3 DP

EAGLES BY STATE (18)
Georgia: 13
Florida: 2
Illinois: 2
Tennessee: 1

EAGLES BY CLASS (18)
Seniors: 1
Juniors: 6
Sophomores: 6
Freshmen: 5 freshmen (3 redshirt)