TXST BASEBALL
Texas State is back on the diamond this week for the start of the 2026 season.
Following two consecutive losing seasons, the Bobcats and Head Coach Steven Trout are looking to snap their skid in their final year of the Sun Belt Conference.
“At this time each year, we sit down as coaches trying to figure out starting rotations, starting lineups, the depth, all the above, and every year heading into it, we always feel really good about it,” Trout said. “Just like this year, we feel really good about where we are as a team, the personnel and the makeup of the team. … A lot of things go into that, right? A lot of that gets answered in the season. Obviously they’re prepared for that, mentally with the routines and doing all of it.”
The Bobcats return several starters from last year’s team including four-year starter Chase Mora who was named Preseason All-Conference.
Despite Texas State capturing wins against No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 5 Texas, the Bobcats finished conference play with a losing record, something Mora wants to rectify this season.
“It’s just the mentality of when we roll into those games,” Mora said. “Against A&M and Texas, we’re always all hyped up and ready to go. We have to take that same energy going into Arkansas State, ULM, some of those guys that aren’t the powerhouses in the Sun Belt. We need to have the same mentality as we do playing A&M or UT as we do playing those guys.”
Senior pitcher Jesus Tovar agreed, going on to explain how the team needs to bring the same energy into the game no matter who is across the other dugout.
“When we play those teams, like A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas, whoever it may be, we’re the underdog looking for the upset,” Tovar said. “We tend to play a little different baseball with a little chip on our shoulder and that’s what we need to take into the conference this year. We’re just looking to play like that every single game, bring the same energy, bring the same juice to every game, no matter what the situation is and no matter who’s on the other side of that dugout.”
With Mora and the addition of a highly talented freshman class who could see the field this year, Trout is more than happy to see his team compete.
“I’m really excited about this group,” Trout said. “It’s some key veterans coming back, some key guys we got out of the portal in the junior college world that are experienced and have a lot of at bats and innings under their belt and this freshman class is really dynamic. I’m really fired up for them to be here on campus. I think you’re going to see a lot of guys that are really young get a lot of chances early because they put themselves in good positions in practice.”
With the pitching rotation losing starters in Austin Eaton, Alex Valetin then closers in Carson Laws, Matthew Tippie and Bryson Dudley, Trout is looking for a new group of players to step up with depth to work with.
“There’s a big mix of guys [that] we feel really confident about,” Trout said. “When that list isn’t very long, you get kind of nervous about how it’s going to go out. That list is pretty long on guys that we feel confident in. Then it’s how they do when they get when the lights come on [and that] changes everything. But I think there’s some key depth to it. We talked about Jesus Tovar, who you know was our Saturday guy last year and had some really great outings for us. … We’ve added some new weapons to him as well [with] a guy like Kyle Froehlich, who’s a six-year guy from UTTyler. He went to junior college in Nebraska, and then was at UT-Tyler last year. A D2 All-American and a real veteran guy, knows how to pitch.
“So there’s a lot of guys that have had experience, and then like I said some of these young guys that are just super talented. So I’m excited for the blend of it. I think we could create a real dynamic in our bullpen as well.”
With the success of what the 2022 season did for the program, the team goal for Mora is not just about matching their success but setting a new bar of excellence for the Bobcats.
“We all look back at that 2022 season, and that’s the main goal is to get back to a regional,” Mora said. “But I think the new standard is not doing what that team did but doing better. So our goal this year is obviously go win the Sun Belt first, go win the tournament then keep going and take this thing all the way to Omaha.”
Texas State opens the season Friday against Niagara in a three-game series. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos.
