The sports staff of the University Star will take nothing but fond and prideful memories from reporting on the 2022 Bobcat baseball season. In our time at The Star and at Texas State, it is the first time we have seen San Marcos represented on a nationwide scale, and being a small part of such a historic season has not been taken for granted.
We sat in the press box at Bobcat Ballpark to witness the team’s record-setting 47 wins, the most in school history. We had the opportunity to meet with the players and coaches on the field during post-game interviews on the field. We all shared the joyous victories and gut-wrenching losses with the team, Texas State students and the San Marcos community.
Watching the maroon and gold travel to Alabama for the Sun Belt Championship filled us all with a sense of pride. Following the team’s journey to Stanford for the Regional tournament, however, provided us with a much deeper sense of school spirit. With the Bobcats being three outs away from hosting the Super Regionals and a chance to go to Omaha for the College World Series, witnessing Stanford’s comeback had implications for us at The Star.
Had the Bobcats pulled out the victory, Texas State would have hosted a Super Regional tournament for the first time in school history. This meant we would have had the great opportunity to cover the games with big media outlets present, giving us a sense of pride in our journalism backgrounds and further cementing our futures in the field. San Marcos and Texas State would have been in the national spotlight, giving every resident and student a one-of-a-kind experience.
Our own hopes of watching and reporting on the Super Regionals are selfish, however, because it downplays the work the baseball team put in behind the scenes to give us the best on-field product that Texas State has ever seen.
A school-record 47 wins will not be forgotten. Senior shortstop Dalton Shuffield’s accolade-filled season will not be forgotten. Senior right-handed pitcher Triston Stivor’s extraordinary seven-inning effort in the last game of the season will not be forgotten, and freshman first baseman Daylan Pena’s grand slam against same-state rival the University of Texas will not be forgotten.
Although it may be hard to top, we look forward with high hopes to Texas State baseball’s next season.