TROY, Ala. (Interstat) — The Sun Belt Conference baseball championship gets underway Saturday, with seed Texas State facing fifth-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette in an afternoon and evening matchup at neutral-site Riddle-Pace Field.

The Bobcats (36-22) and Ragin’ Cajuns (36-22) enter the double-elimination tournament opener with identical records but contrasting recent form. Texas State won its final regular-season series against Louisiana-Lafayette, taking a 4-3 decision Thursday in San Marcos, Texas.

Texas State will likely turn to junior right-hander Ryan Markwardt, who has been dominant in his past three appearances. Markwardt threw 4.2 innings of two-hit, scoreless relief Thursday against the Cajuns, striking out eight. In his prior two outings, he worked a combined 9.0 innings without allowing an earned run, fanning 16. On the season, Markwardt has not surrendered an earned run in his last 13.2 innings across four appearances.

Louisiana-Lafayette will counter with sophomore right-hander Andrew Herrmann, who picked up a win Friday at Coastal Carolina after tossing 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out nine. Herrmann has been volatile this season, however. In his previous start against the Chanticleers on May 20, he allowed four earned runs in 5.0 innings. He also was touched for six earned runs in 7.1 innings at Appalachian State on May 9.

The teams have met four times this season, with Texas State winning three. The Bobcats swept a three-game series in San Marcos from March 20-22, outscoring the Cajuns 31-11. Louisiana-Lafayette’s only win came Thursday in a one-run affair.

Texas State brings momentum into the tournament, having won five of its past six games. The Bobcats’ offense has been productive, scoring at least five runs in eight of their last nine contests. Louisiana-Lafayette also enters with a victory, having won two of its last three after dropping a series to Coastal Carolina at home from May 14-16.

The winner advances in the winners’ bracket; the loser drops into an elimination game. With both teams carrying identical records and a recent history of competitive play, Saturday’s opener at the neutral site in Troy promises to be a tight contest.