Texas State Bobcats
Overall Rank: #41
Conference Rank: #2 Sun Belt
Texas State reached the NCAA Tournament last season behind strong pitching and power hitting. The team ranked 11th in the country in ERA and they could be even better in 2018 with the return of Randi Rupp. She tallied a 1.22 ERA and struck out 325 batters in 264.2 innings of work. The senior should be in for another huge season and as long as she is on top of her game, the Bobcats can beat anybody.
2017: 42-17, 18-8
2017 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Ricci Woodard
Key Departed Players:
Taylor Webb, 1B, .248 BA, 13 HR, 37 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Ariel Ortiz, IF, .343 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI
Christiana McDowell, OF, .251 BA, 3 HR, 21 RBI
Jaelyn Young, DP/C, .247 BA, 9 HR, 33 RBI
Randi Rupp, P, 1.22 ERA, 28-10 W-L, 264.2 IP, 325 SO
Projection:
Ariel Ortiz will again be the leader at the plate. She belted 15 homeruns and also led the team with a .343 batting average and 47 RBIs. Jaelyn Young, who hit nine homeruns as a junior, will help boost those power numbers too. The team as a whole will not get on base too often, but they will score a few runs in most games due to their power hitting. If the team can find a surprise hitter or two that can get on base consistently so Ortiz and Young can drive them in, this could be a dangerous team come tournament time.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
Madness 2018 Draft Rankings:
#8 Randi Rupp
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