After Texas State club baseball’s 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, only a dedicated few stayed committed to the team. 
With less than the amount needed to fill a baseball diamond returning to the 2021-22 squad, club officers sought out potential baseball players of any and all experience levels to regain momentum.
Through the process of tabling on the Quad and in the Student Recreation Center and through traditional word-of-mouth during the fall of 2021, the club team gained enough players at tryouts to fill out their squad.
Serving as secretary and treasurer of the club, Kenley Young, a senior double majoring in political science and public administration, tried out for the team in fall 2021. Young said that the 2020-21 season cancellation meant that the club had essentially disbanded, and the structure and organization the club previously had was gone. 
“COVID happened and the team was completely crippled,” Young said. “When I went to tryouts there was 40 people… they [officers] were building a new frame, that new program.”
With the club desperate for more members in order to play games, nearly everyone who tried out made the team. Cade Morrison, a recreation studies senior who also serves as secretary and treasurer of the club, said that the roster for the 2021-22 season guided the club to a new identity.
“Going into last season, not a lot of us were necessarily prepared and understood what to expect,” Morrison said. “It gave us… a brand new look and system for our team.”
Once the officers had an idea of what their team could look like for the 2021-22 season, thrice weekly practices began right away. The Bobcats began their 2021-22 season by splitting a scrimmage series with Baylor, who at the time was ranked sixth by the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA). 
“It lit a fire underneath our ass,” Young said. “We have one of the toughest conferences… we were ready, we’re gonna sweep the conference.” 
With a revamped roster and a big win against the tough Baylor Bears club team, the Texas State club team began to set the narrative for their future: enjoying their beloved game of baseball and competing to the best of their abilities, all with a chip on their shoulder.
The narrative, which has been adopted by the team, has carried over to the 2022-23 team as they prepare for another round of tryouts in early September. After undergoing the hardships that COVID-19 brought upon the club, the officers are better prepared and know better strategies to get more players involved in club tryouts for this upcoming season. 
Along with the methods they used to gain more attention last season, club baseball has made its presence on campus known through tabling at new student orientation and a consistent schedule of social media posts. 
“An unspoken game plan for us, so to say, is to get our names out there and try to reach potential players,” Morrison said. “There’s a lot of potential players trying out [this season] and a lot of potential ability that comes with it.”
Last season, the club finished its season with a winning record of 7-5. Their goal of getting their presence known on campus has been successful leading up to 2022 fall tryouts, and the potential of another winning season for the club seems likely.
Vice president of the club Jose Valenzuela, an electrical engineering senior, said that the mentality entering this season is to win ballgames. 
“Last season the mentality was getting the best group to start in the season games,” Valenzuela said. “[This season] the end goal is to have a winning season in hopes to win our division and make it to the national club tournament.”
Texas State club baseball will hold tryouts from 12-3 p.m. on Sep. 9 and 10 at the Bobcat Village practice fields. For more information, follow @txstclubbaseball on Instagram or @txstclubball on Twitter.