Bobcats Visit for Weekend Series
3/22/2012 2:14:00 PM | Baseball
Two of the four teams tied for first place in the 2012 Southland Conference race meet head-on this weekend when No. 23 ranked Texas State visits Don Sanders Stadium for a three-game series with Sam Houston State.
The action begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday night with Saturday's first pitch at 4 p.m. and Sunday's game starting at 1 p.m.
Texas State (14-6, 4-2 SLC) enters the weekend after beating No. 19 TCU for the second time this season.Sam Houston (11-9, 4-2 SLC) is coming off a 10-3 loss to No. 27 Baylor on Wednesday.
With identical 4-2 records, Sam Houston and Texas State are tied with McNeese State and Northwestern State for first place in the young league race.
Sam Houston will be attempting to stop a four-game Bobcat winning streak in the all-time baseball series between the two foes. Texas State has won 31 of the last 41 meetings since the 2000 season. The Bobcats swept SHSU in San Marcos last year during the regular season and knocked off the Kats at the Southland post-season tournament.
Outfielder Jeff McVaney and infielder Casey Kalenkosky lead the Bobcats at the plate, both with .313 hitting means. Texas State possesses some of the top arms in the Southland Conference this spring with a team 2.17 earned run average. The Bobcats have out-scored their opponents 100-62.
Designated hitter Anthony Azar (.393) and outfielder Jake Arrington (.370) are the Bearkats' top threats at the plate. Arrington has hit safely in nine consecutive games and has posted seven multiple-hit performances this season.
The probably pitching matchups pit Sam Houston lefthander Cody Dickson (2-2, 1.11 ERA) against Bobcat right-hander Travis Ballew (4-1, 1.54 ERA) Friday night.
Tickets for Sam Houston State home baseball games are available on line at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
All the baseball action this weekend will be streamed live on www.gobearkats.com .
Fans who show proof of Texas Farm Bureau membership at the athletics ticket office can receive two free tickets to any home Sam Houston State baseball game this season at Don Sanders Stadium. Proof of membership can consist of a membership card or a recent billing statement.
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