Wednesday, April 8
San Marcos, TX
6:00 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Texas State
Photo by: Elysa Ripley
Jacks Face Texas State in San Marcos on Wednesday
4/7/2026 11:27:00 AM | Baseball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Coming off a Southland Conference series win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Stephen F. Austin heads to San Marcos for its weekly step outside league play to take on Texas State which as of late has received votes in multiple national top 25 rankings. First pitch in Wednesday's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
SFA (18-15, 9-6 SLC) is currently fourth in the SLC standings, one game back of Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana. The Jacks will host UTRGV for three games this weekend in Nacogdoches. The Vaqueros have played one more league series than the Jacks and sit at 9-9 in SLC play, directly behind SFA.
THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup will be the 68th in the all-time series which was first contested in 1985. Texas State has won 46 times against the Jacks and boasts a 26-7 record at home. It will be the first action on the diamond between the two programs since 2018 when the Bobcats swept SFA at home. TSU is 7-3 in its last ten against the Jacks with SFA's most recent win in the series coming in a 9-7 decision that eliminated the Bobcats from the 2012 Southland Conference Tournament. That ended up being the final SLC game for Texas State who went on to join the WAC in 2012-13.
BOBCAT BUILD UP
Texas State (21-10) is 15-4 at home this season. The Bobcats are coming off a Sunbelt Conference series win against Georgia Southern and prior to that were edged by #2 Texas in a midweek bout in Austin.
The Bobcats boast a powerful offense ranking seventh nationally in home runs with 63 averaging over two per game. The squad's .558 slugging percentage rates 12th nationally. Texas State averages 7.9 runs per game. Rashawn Galloway's 51 hits rate 10th nationally, while four other Bobcats have hit eight or more home runs paced by Dawson Park's 11 which is the top total in the Sunbelt and the 35th highest total nationally.
On the mound, the Bobcats hold top five Sunbelt Conference marks in BB/9 (4.23), K/9 (9.7) and K-to-BB ratio (2.30). Ryan Markwardt gets the ball for the Bobcats on Wednesday night. Markwardt will make his fourth appearance of the season and second in starting role. He has tossed 3.2 innings this spring with three strikeouts to five walks in addition to allowing nine hits and ten earned runs.
No team in the country averages more double plays per game than Texas State's 1.10 and only New Orleans (36) has turned more than the Bobcats' 34 this season.
LUMBERJACK LOWDOWN
Through 33 games, SFA rates second in the SLC in walks drawn with 176, a top 40 mark nationally, and has earned eight or more free passes eight times this season. That effort has helped produce the league's second-high OBP at .391 and has aided in 229 runs scored which ranks second league-wide. SFA leads the SLC with 54 stolen bases.
Three Jacks own averages north of .300, five have 30 or more hits, four have 20+ RBI this season and all are led by Julian Swift (.343, 48 H, 40 RBI) who, as the lone Jack to see action in all 33 games so far this spring, leads the Southland Conference in hits, doubles (10), RBI and triples (4), while being the league's toughest player to retire via strikeout (10.8). Swift and Ethan Peña leada the Jacks with 14 multi-hit games and Swift leads with 13 multi-RBI games.
Jhett Creel has helped power SFA's efforts in drawing free passes with a league-best 31 walks. Creel rates second in the SLC in OBP at .479. Mark Henning currently carries the team's longest active reached safely streak at 13 games; the second-longest by a Jack this season.
On the mound, SFA's 4.34 walks per nine rate is the fourth lowest in the league as is the staff's K-to-BB ratio of 2.10 and its 9.1 Ks per nine. Fourteen arms have seen seven or more appearances this season. Kadin Munson's 13 appearances (4.22 ERA, 10.2 IP) lead the team, Reid Bowyer follows with a dozen and Jack James has recorded 11. James leads the staff with a 1.08 ERA and a WHIP of .84 over 25.0 IP; the most among non-starters this season. James has nearly a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with Bowyer at over 3-to-1.
SEASON NOTABLES
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts match the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. It was the sixth inning of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure and the fourth through the first 17 games of the season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all remaining SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
SFA (18-15, 9-6 SLC) is currently fourth in the SLC standings, one game back of Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana. The Jacks will host UTRGV for three games this weekend in Nacogdoches. The Vaqueros have played one more league series than the Jacks and sit at 9-9 in SLC play, directly behind SFA.
THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup will be the 68th in the all-time series which was first contested in 1985. Texas State has won 46 times against the Jacks and boasts a 26-7 record at home. It will be the first action on the diamond between the two programs since 2018 when the Bobcats swept SFA at home. TSU is 7-3 in its last ten against the Jacks with SFA's most recent win in the series coming in a 9-7 decision that eliminated the Bobcats from the 2012 Southland Conference Tournament. That ended up being the final SLC game for Texas State who went on to join the WAC in 2012-13.
BOBCAT BUILD UP
Texas State (21-10) is 15-4 at home this season. The Bobcats are coming off a Sunbelt Conference series win against Georgia Southern and prior to that were edged by #2 Texas in a midweek bout in Austin.
The Bobcats boast a powerful offense ranking seventh nationally in home runs with 63 averaging over two per game. The squad's .558 slugging percentage rates 12th nationally. Texas State averages 7.9 runs per game. Rashawn Galloway's 51 hits rate 10th nationally, while four other Bobcats have hit eight or more home runs paced by Dawson Park's 11 which is the top total in the Sunbelt and the 35th highest total nationally.
On the mound, the Bobcats hold top five Sunbelt Conference marks in BB/9 (4.23), K/9 (9.7) and K-to-BB ratio (2.30). Ryan Markwardt gets the ball for the Bobcats on Wednesday night. Markwardt will make his fourth appearance of the season and second in starting role. He has tossed 3.2 innings this spring with three strikeouts to five walks in addition to allowing nine hits and ten earned runs.
No team in the country averages more double plays per game than Texas State's 1.10 and only New Orleans (36) has turned more than the Bobcats' 34 this season.
LUMBERJACK LOWDOWN
Through 33 games, SFA rates second in the SLC in walks drawn with 176, a top 40 mark nationally, and has earned eight or more free passes eight times this season. That effort has helped produce the league's second-high OBP at .391 and has aided in 229 runs scored which ranks second league-wide. SFA leads the SLC with 54 stolen bases.
Three Jacks own averages north of .300, five have 30 or more hits, four have 20+ RBI this season and all are led by Julian Swift (.343, 48 H, 40 RBI) who, as the lone Jack to see action in all 33 games so far this spring, leads the Southland Conference in hits, doubles (10), RBI and triples (4), while being the league's toughest player to retire via strikeout (10.8). Swift and Ethan Peña leada the Jacks with 14 multi-hit games and Swift leads with 13 multi-RBI games.
Jhett Creel has helped power SFA's efforts in drawing free passes with a league-best 31 walks. Creel rates second in the SLC in OBP at .479. Mark Henning currently carries the team's longest active reached safely streak at 13 games; the second-longest by a Jack this season.
On the mound, SFA's 4.34 walks per nine rate is the fourth lowest in the league as is the staff's K-to-BB ratio of 2.10 and its 9.1 Ks per nine. Fourteen arms have seen seven or more appearances this season. Kadin Munson's 13 appearances (4.22 ERA, 10.2 IP) lead the team, Reid Bowyer follows with a dozen and Jack James has recorded 11. James leads the staff with a 1.08 ERA and a WHIP of .84 over 25.0 IP; the most among non-starters this season. James has nearly a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with Bowyer at over 3-to-1.
SEASON NOTABLES
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts match the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. It was the sixth inning of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure and the fourth through the first 17 games of the season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all remaining SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#AxeEm x #LogByLog
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball3.29.26 | BSB v HCU Series Press Conference
Monday, March 30
3.8.26 | BSB v Lamar Series Press Conference
Monday, March 09
2.17.26 | Baseball Opening Week Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, February 18
5.10.25 | BSB v UIW Series Press Conference
Monday, May 12
