Texas State Baseball (3-1) is back in action to begin their 2022 season, and the good guys started off with a bang against the visiting Utah Valley Wolverines (1-3).
The Maroon and Gold baseball squad is looking to rebound after a underwhelming 2021 performance, going 21-36 to conclude the year and a in-conference record of 9-15 on their season.
“I was proud of the guys. really good job of winning the series.” – HC Steven Trout
Right out of the gate to start 2022, the Bobcats are off to a better start than they were just one season ago. Playing the BYU Cougars, the Cats split their opening series before heading into a battle against Sam Houston State.
Now one year later, a new Texas State team coached by returning HC Steven Trout, the Bobcats offense looks new and improved while the arms in the bullpen look fresher than they were just one year ago.
Their opening contest of 2022 was a 5-3 victory against the Wolverines on Friday night. The Bobcats were led by RHP Zeke Wood that pulled together 12 strikeouts in 6 innings, but the win was locked up by RHP Tristan Stivors, who pitched two innings and gave up 0 hits.
The battle between these two clubs was a back-and-forth duel that ultimately concluded in the bottom of the 8th inning, as DH Wesley Faison cracked a two-run home-run, his first of the season.
The Cats second game of the year was an offensive outing that could set the tone for what could be an improved string of bats in 2022. The Bobcats defeated the Wolverines again, this time by a score of 14-4. LHP Carson Keithley pitched for 3.2 innings and secured the “W” for the good guys, after giving up zero runs and posting three strikeouts.
“Everyone has been swinging a pretty good bat. I just hope we can keep it going.”
Texas State’s offense was led by SS Dalton Shuffield who scored four times, in addition to DH Wesley Faison, LF Jose Gonzalez, 1B Daylan Pena and RF John Wuhtrich, all of whom had 2 RBI’s each on the night.
The third game of the weekend was the Bobcats lone loss of the weekend, falling 5-3 to Utah Valley despite last ditch efforts to close the gap late. Utah Valley’s RHP Mason Gray pitched five innings and allowed just one hit on the day, as the Wolverines victory was saved by RHP Nick Sims.
Utah Valley’s batters were electric late in the game, scoring four runs in the top of the 8th inning. Three straight singles brought in four runs, as LF Trey Cutchen, RF Cole Jordan and DH Brandon Luna all did the dirty work in the 8th, catapulting Utah Valley into victory.
The final contest of the weekend was another immaculate offensive outing for the Bobcats, as Texas State put together another 14-run day against the Wolverines bullpen. Texas State must have a thing for the 8th inning, as another strong showing late in this ballgame saw them put up five runs, en route to their third checkmark in the win column.
The Maroon and Gold had three batters bring in three runs, as CF Isaiah Ortega-Jones, 2B Cameron Gibbons, and 1B Daylan Pena provided a surplus of offense throughout the course of the game. RHP Tony Robie had a five-inning outing on the mound, giving up two runs en route to his first victory of the season, in the 14-2 win.
“I’m feeling great, team is looking good, pitching is looking great.”
The Texas State Baseball team now finds themselves at 3-1 on the season, as the Utah Valley Wolverines drop to 1-3 on the year. The first series of the season for TXST ended almost perfectly, but a 3-1 start is already an improvement after their slow start in 2021.
The Bobcats will now travel to Globe Life Field to take on Wichita State (0-3) on February 23, before taking on Ohio State University (3-0) for the first time in the schools’ history, for a three-game series from February 25-27 back at Bobcat Ballpark.
