Texas State Bobcats
Overall Rank: #44
Conference Rank: #2 Sun Belt
After three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Texas State missed out on the postseason last year. But that was a relatively young squad and Coach Ricci Woodard will get the best out of her team. And they may need to be at their best from day one with a tough non-conference schedule that will test just where this group stands heading into the 2020 campaign.
2019: 29-25, 16-10
2019 Postseason: None
Coach: Ricci Woodard
Key Departed Players:
Haleigh Davis, C/IF, .276 BA, 3 HR, 21 RBI
Mari Cranek, OF, .286 BA, 9 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Christiana McDowell, OF, .361 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 25 SB
Hailey MacKay, IF, .288 BA, 4 HR, 34 RBI
Tara Oltmann, IF, .277 BA, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 16 SB
ArieAnn Bell, IF, .264 BA, 9 HR, 28 RBI
Meagan King, P, 2.95 ERA, 18-11 W/L, 168.1 IP, 85 SO
Dalilah Barrera, P, 4.28 ERA, 9-6 W/L, 106.1 IP, 104 SO
Projection:
Meagan King was the team’s top pitcher as a sophomore last season, posting a 2.95 ERA in 168.1 innings of work. If she can become a more consistent ace, Texas State will be competing for a Sun Belt title. With senior Daliliah Barrera and incoming freshman Ronnie Grofman, the Bobcats should at least be solid in the circle. The lineup is not going to dominate, but they can generate runs and have enough powerful bats so they will not have to rely entirely on the pitching staff. Christiana McDowell hit .361 last season with 25 stolen bases. The senior outfielder also belted four homeruns. Tara Oltmann is another speedster who can get around the bases, but Oltmann also led the team with 41 RBIs so she will certainly drive in plenty of those runs too. ArieAnn Bell was the team’s top power hitter with nine homeruns in 2019. Coach Woodard has some experienced and talented bats to build around, but they will need to find a few new bats to fill in the rest of the lineup if Texas State is going to start a new tournament streak.
Projected Postseason: None
