MARSHALL AT TEXAS STATE (Interstat) — SUN BELT BASEBALL PREVIEW

SAN MARCOS, Texas (Interstat) — Marshall visits Texas State on Thursday at Bobcat Ballpark in the opener of a three-game Sun Belt series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under partly cloudy skies with temperatures near 89 degrees.

The Thundering Herd (23-28) enter the series after dropping three of their past four games. Marshall lost 7-5 to Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday, splitting the three-game set. Outfielder Jackson Halter is a player to watch for the Herd. Halter went 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI in Sunday’s loss after homering twice with three RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Warhawks on May 8. Over his past 10 games, Halter is batting .261 (6-for-23) with four home runs and 12 RBIs. He has hit safely in four of those contests.

Texas State (31-22) is coming off a 19-4 loss at Texas-San Antonio on Tuesday. The Bobcats had won four straight before that defeat, including a three-game sweep at Arkansas State. Outfielder Blake Beheler is a player to watch for Texas State. Beheler went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs in Tuesday’s loss. He has had limited at-bats recently, appearing in two of the Bobcats’ past four games entering Thursday.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Texas State victory. Interstat’s ELO system gives the Bobcats a 68.6 percent probability to win.

The series continues with games Friday and Saturday, both at Bobcat Ballpark.