Now, the team is preparing to meet the challenges at the next level as the competition elevates with Texas State’s transition to the WAC.

Amari Deardorff, two-time All-SLC First Team player, said the team is not going to take satisfaction in solely being in the WAC — it wants to be competitive.

“The competition level will definitely be a lot higher, and no one really knows what to expect, but I don’t think anyone is expecting to be happy with just being there,” Deardorff said.

Chisum does not anticipate WAC opponents will be complacent when facing the Bobcats this season.

Track and field coaches Dana Boone and Bryan Jackson of the just finished their first seasons at Texas State, jumping many hurdles along the way.

Boone is the head coach of the track team and Jackson is a track assistant and the head coach of cross country. The duo said the hardest part of the first season was getting their athletes to buy in and believe they could not only compete but win.

Jackson cited a needed culture change as one of the first things to emphasize, which was not easy. Both coaches said convincing the athletes that success was possible was step one.

“When you take over a new program, one of the biggest challenges is getting the kids to buy in,” Boone said.  “I was getting a group of kids I knew nothing about, and they were getting a coach they knew nothing about.”

Now the reciprocation is beginning to show, and Boone and Jackson feel the team is ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Coach Ty Harrington boasts a 448-321 all-time record, including a 244-135 record during Southland Conference play, after his 13th season at Texas State. He has coached 65 all-conference selections and propelled 33 players into the Major League Baseball draft, including five more this year. He is the winningest coach in Texas State baseball history and looks to continue his winning ways moving into the off-season.

JC: So this season had many ups and downs, droughts and streaks, encouraging wins and disappointing losses. Which win would you say was the most impressive to you this season and why?

TH: I think probably the two games against Oregon after we had just come off of being swept by Sam Houston. I thought it showed a lot of character on our behalf to come back like that against a team that is now playing in the super regionals and bidding for the College World Series.

JC: Which loss was most disappointing and why?

Texas State baseball is riding a five-game losing streak after being swept in a three-contest series on the road against Southeastern Louisiana last weekend.

The Lions outscored the Bobcats 24-3 in the three games, with scores of 10-1, 8-1 and 6-1. The sweep drops Texas State into a seventh-place tie in the Southland Conference with an 8-10 record and 20-15 overall.

The first game of the series saw an early deficit for the Bobcats, as the Lions put up three runs in the first inning. Travis Ballew, junior pitcher, was on the mound for Texas State in the series opener and went four and one-third innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and five walks.

Walks were the Achilles’ heel of Bobcat pitchers on the night, as four of the seven batters walked came around to score.

The lone run for Texas State came from Tyler Sibley, senior second baseman, as he blasted his first homerun of the season and No. 18 of his career.

This weekend Texas State will try and make its push in the conference standings as the baseball team travels to Hammond, La. to play the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.

Texas State and SLU are currently tied for third place in the Southland Conference and a series sweep could be just what the doctor ordered for the Bobcats’ conference woes.

Overall, the Bobcats have a 20-12 record, including a 6-3 record versus ranked opponents, but in the SLC they are 8-7 and in a four-way tie for third place.

Sam Houston State is atop the standings with a 23-9 overall record, 13-2 in conference, and is ranked No. 20 in the nation.  

Texas State baseball took its game to Reckling Park Tuesday to face No. 9 Rice. The Bobcats got an early lead, but unlike their previous meeting when they won on a walk off, were unable to manage any late-game heroics and lost 6-5.

With the loss, the Bobcats spoiled the opportunity to obtain their first sweep of the Owls since 1988.

Taylor Black, redshirt freshman pitcher with only 10 innings on the season, started the game for the Bobcats. He only had one strikeout while giving up nine hits, but managed the game well and found a way to keep runners from scoring.

After the Owls scored a run in the second, Texas State responded effectively and put up four runs in the next frame to push the score to 5-1.

Cody Lovejoy, freshman, was called to pinch hit with the bases loaded and produced a clutch three-run double. The other run of the inning was walked home. 

Texas State baseball extended its winning streak against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to six games, dating back to the 2010 season, before losing the last contest of the three-game set.

The Bobcats won 6-1 and 2-0, but lost the final game 4-3 on a walk-off win by the Islanders.
The first game featured a rare 25-minute sun delay because of limited visibility for the umpires. The Bobcats came out after the delay and scored three runs in the third inning.

Andrew Stumph, junior catcher, Tyler Sibley, senior second basemen, and Joey Fuda, senior outfielder, all recorded an RBI. Fuda hit his first career triple.

A two-out rally in the fifth inning pushed the bases loaded as senior Isaac Nuti stepped to the plate and hit a two-run double to extend the lead to 5-0.

Tuesday’s game versus No. 8 Baylor was cancelled due to inclement weather. Now the Texas State baseball team will play the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in a three-game series beginning Thursday. Texas State is coming off a series win last weekend against McNeese State, taking two of three from the Cowboys. 

The Islanders carry a 12-16 overall record and are 5-7 in conference. Statistically, the Bobcats have the edge.

Offensively, the Islanders have managed a .237 batting average on the season with seven homeruns. The Bobcats have a .261 batting average on 17 homeruns that could prove useful against the Islanders pitching staff that has a 3.97 ERA on the season.

The Islanders have a secret weapon on the mound that could test the Bobcats at the plate and force the pitching staff to come through in a big way.

Bobcat Ballpark broke an attendance record this weekend as reportedly more than 3,600 spectators watched Texas State baseball outscore McNeese State 22-7, winning the three-game series 2-1.

Donnie Hart, sophomore left-handed pitcher, pitched for one and a third innings March 31 against McNeese State at Bobcat Ballpark. Texas State was defeated in the last game of a three-game series 5-3.

Jeff McVaney, senior outfielder and closing pitcher, led the Bobcats’ offensive attack during the series, batting 7-for-14, scoring six runs and hitting two home runs to bring his season total to six.

A five-run first inning spearheaded Texas State baseball’s attack against No. 16 Oregon as the Bobcats beat the Ducks 11-3 in the first ever meeting between the two schools.

Tyler Sibley, senior infielder, slides back to first base after attempting a steal March 27 at the Bobcat Baseball Stadium.

Despite being swept last weekend at Sam Houston State, Texas State possesses its second-best start to the season through 20 games under Coach Ty Harrington with a 15-6 overall record.

In only his second career start, Taylor Black collected the win and only allowed five hits and one earned run while collecting seven strikeouts in six and one-third innings.