Speed pays off: A&M coach Trisha Ford continued to tinker with her batting order that had scored three runs or less in four of its last five games. She went with speed at the top in sophomore Kennedy Powell and junior Koko Wooley and also at the bottom with junior Kramer Eschete. The trio combined to go 3-of-11 batting.
Glad to be back in Texas: Albany graduate catcher Maddi Petrella, a three-year starter, hit a two-run homer against the Aggies that cleared the scoreboard in left-center field. It was the 10th homer of the season for Petrella, who played at Clear Creek. She said she didn’t even watch it to see where it went. Penn State senior catcher Gaby Garcia, who is from Southlake Carroll and transferred from Penn State, had a single in her team’s 4-2 loss to Texas State.
Staying close to home: Texas State knew it would be staying near to home for the NCAA tournament, but would it be College Station or Austin?
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This is the Bobcats ninth time to make the tourney since the NCAA went to the current format of 16 regional sites with the winners advancing to super regionals. Texas State has stayed within the state all but two times. The Bobcats went to Alabama in 2016 when no Texas team was a top 16 seed and they went to Los Angeles in 2018, which was the last year the Aggies hosted. The NCAA in 2018 opted to send Prairie View A&M and Baylor to College Station and besides, the Bobcats had been sent to College Station the previous year. The Bobcats were sent to Austin in 2011, ’21 and last year. They were sent to Waco in 2009 and A&M in 2012 and ’17.
“If you’re going to stay in the state of Texas, I’d like to play here,” Texas State coach Ricci Woodard said. “I like the facility. I think it’s set up perfect for a regional.”
It didn’t matter to Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins if they were sent to Austin, College Station or Lafayette, since they’d faced the Aggies and Longhorns several times in recent years and Louisiana-Lafayette is a fellow Sun Belt Conference member.
“Honesty, I love playing here, I love playing at ULL and Texas, anywhere that we have experience in, don’t care where we play,” Mullins said. “Honestly, I don’t care where we play, I don’t think it matters, just as long as we show up and play our game, we’re fine.”
Mullins’ impressive year: Texas State senior right-hander Jessica Mullins leads the nation in victories and innings this year. She improved to 31-7 with Friday’s victory and has thrown 236 1/3 innings.
Texas State coach Ricci Woodard said her pitcher’s key to success is going right at hitters.
“That’s what makes pitchers who they are,” Woodard said. “She’ll throw the ball in on your hands. She’s got a nasty change-up to go with it. She’s not scare to have the ball in her hand and she doesn’t care who the hitter is. I think she’s built that confidence even more so this year than I’ve ever seen.”
Last week, Texas State won the Sun Belt Conference, beating regular-season champ ULL.
“I thought last weekend was the best she’s thrown all year, which puts us in a good spot this weekend,” Woodard said.
Texas State senior third baseman Sara Vanderford said Mullins’ success starts with the way she carries herself.
“She doesn’t care who’s in the other dugout or who you are or what your stats are,” said Vanderford, who has spent five years with Mullins “She’s going to go right at you and she’s going to win.”
Mullins, a junior right-hander from Barbers Hill, has walked only 50. She was touched for her eighth homer Friday by Penn State’s Maddie Gordon.
“The reason my confidence is so high this year and why I feel like I’m doing so good is because of my teammates,” Mullins said. “I don’t think I’ve had a better bond with a group of girls than I have this year.”
Mullins was the winning pitcher in the Bobcats’ 4-3 victory over A&M on March 20 in San Marcos. She allowed six hits, striking out seven and walking two.
She lost a 1-0 game to UT on Feb. 28 and was a loser in a 6-4 loss to the Longhorns on April 10, giving up four runs in four innings.
Mullins pitched in both NCAA tourney games against A&M last year, totaling six innings, allowing one run, taking the loss in the first meeting, a 2-1 loss in eight innings.
— Robert Cessna
