Bobcats swept by Georgia State in final home series

Cole Coffey’s last hit of the season inside Bobcat Ballpark landed in the same place as his first of the year — over the left field fence.

The fifth-year senior first baseman has been collecting hits for Texas State since he was a freshman in 2017. He saved some of his biggest for his last season with the maroon and gold, though. Coffey had two home runs combined over the first four years of his career. This year he’s totaled a career-high nine, including three in a 15-9 win over Houston on March 13.

His latest came on Sunday against Georgia State. The Bobcats, trailing 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, got two runners in scoring position after a sacrifice bunt from senior centerfielder Chase Evans. Coffey stepped up to the plate for the second time of the day and went yard on the fourth pitch he saw, clearing the bases and cutting the Panthers’ lead in half.

Texas State scored two more runs in the inning, but didn’t cross home plate the rest of the game, suffering a 6-5 loss and series sweep to Georgia State (14-35, 10-11 Sun Belt). But for Coffey and the rest of the Bobcat seniors, it was one of the most important games of the season.

“Just being able to go out there with my brothers — I’ve been here for a long time and it just means the world to go out there and hit the field with them one last time,” Coffey said. “I stepped foot on campus and I’ve loved it ever since. I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am without the coaching staff behind me and many other people, with my teammates, pushing me to get better each and every single day. It’s been one heck of a journey, that’s for sure.”

Before Sunday’s game, the team honored the careers of its 10 current seniors — catcher Bryce Bonner, Coffey, left-handed pitcher Wes Engle, Evans, infielder Johnny Gonzales, right-hander Garrett Herrmann, outfielder Will Hollis, RHP Zac Leigh, catcher Tucker Redden and second baseman Jaxon Williams — as well as former relief pitcher Brent Hebert, who chose not to return after his senior season was cut short in 2020.

Players like Coffey, Engle and Leigh played their entire collegiate careers in San Marcos.

“(I enjoyed) just the locker room aspect, just being able to go in there every day and, you know, getting to see all the guys,” Coffey said. “We put in so much work here every single day and it’s just — I know we’re not done yet but, I mean, being here and it being the last game that I’ll have at Bobcat Ballpark, it’s just something that I’m gonna miss. No doubt.”

The ceremony marked the end of an era at the ballpark. Eight of the 11 players were members of the 2019 squad that won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt regular season championship. Nine of them were part of the 2020 team that went 14-4 — with wins over Houston and Baylor — before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas State hasn’t quite reached the same heights of the past two years in 2021. But it doesn’t take away from what the group accomplished during their time with the team.

“It’s been a great group to be around,” assistant coach Chad Massengale said. “This is my fourth year here and, man, you  couldn’t pick up a better group to be around and spend my time with. You know, I spend more time with these guys than I do my own family. So I’m super proud of these guys, every one of them. These guys are really, really super human beings to be around every day, I’m pretty fortunate.”

The seniors’ year isn’t over yet but it is winding down. The Bobcats (21-31, 9-12) face Coastal Carolina (22-23, 6-12) in the season finale this weekend on the road, currently locked into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Sun Belt’s West Division but only three games behind UT Arlington in first place.

It’ll be their last opportunity to play before the league’s tournament begins on Tuesday, May 26.

“I don’t think we need to do anything different,” Coffey said. “I think we just need to keep doing what we’re doing. And you know that’s baseball sometimes, you’re gonna go out there and compete your hardest and some days you don’t have your best stuff — like I surely did not have my best stuff (Saturday) night. But the big thing about me, I had to turn the page. And I didn’t have an outstanding day (Sunday) either but I think as a collective whole, I mean, as long as we just keep turning the page, we’ll be right where we need to be.”