TXST SOFTBALL
The first home game of the 2026 season started off with a bang as Texas State upset the No. 18ranked Clemson Tigers 4-0.
Texas State improves to 4-2 for the season while Clemson falls to 4-3, suffering their first shutout loss since March of last season.
“We were just being ourselves,” junior Katarina Zarate said. “That’s how good we are. I just want to give thanks to my teammates. Thanks to God for putting us in this situation. I have a really good team. If we just play and trust in what we do during the week, then we’ll be good.”
The Bobcats struck first as senior first baseman Aiyana Coleman hit an RBI single to score senior Karmyn Bass from first to put Texas State up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Zarate connected with a two-RBI single, extending the lead to 3-0.
Zarate later struck again, hitting a solo home run into left field to make it a 4-0 game.
After missing last season with a season-ending injury, Zarate has worked her way back into the lineup for the Bobcats, “I’m just trusting my work that I do in practice,” Zarate said. “I’m just trying to keep it simple and not try to be someone that I’m not. So I just go up there, just be who I am and trust that all my work will pay off.”
For Head Coach Ricci Woodard, she was proud of how the junior from Victoria bounced back from a tough outing last weekend.
“The biggest thing for me was that she didn’t play well last weekend,” Woodard said. “She didn’t feel that was her best. She came in and we visited some things. One of the biggest things for her is just to relax and play.
“I think you come back after a year off, you’re trying to just find your feet. I’m hoping tonight helped her find her feet a little bit. That kid has as much power as anybody in the country so it’s nice to have her back.”
In the circle, junior Madison Azua threw a complete game shutout, allowing seven hits and striking out seven batters to earn her second win of the season.
“I thought she threw the best game I’ve seen her go all year long,” Woodard said. “Every single pitch she worked on, which we’ve tried to kind of fix this week, and now she did a great job of controlling the entire game.”
Coming off a tough last day in the Kajikawa Classic, Azua was able to learn from her mistakes to help deliver one of the biggest wins for the season.
“I know last weekend, I was missing a lot of my spots and I knew what I was doing,” Azua said. “So this time I just went in and just made the adjustment. I just told myself not to miss over the middle, and I didn’t.”
Texas State returns to play Friday against the Wichita State Shockers. The Shockers enter the weekend with a 2-3 record coming off the Getterman Classic in Waco.
First pitch is set for 12:15 Friday at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
