Texas State baseball and men’s golf have solidified the first signings of their 2021-22 rosters.
Baseball
13 high school seniors and one junior college transfer will join the baseball roster.
The Bobcats’ 2020-21 freshman class is ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference, fifth in Texas and 52nd overall by Perfect Game. Head Coach Steven Trout has high hopes for this new generation of prospects.
“I couldn’t be more fired up for the 2021 class and the future of Texas State baseball,” Trout said. “This class could end up being the highest-ranked class in program history.”
Transferring from Galveston College is right-handed pitcher Travis Phelps. Phelps will play the 2021 season in Galveston before joining Texas State.
Over five games at Angelina College in 2020, Phelps had 14 strike-outs and a 2.08 ERA in eight innings.
In the 2019 MLB Draft, Phelps was selected in the 28th round by the Minnesota Twins.
Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Josh Blakely says he is impressed Phelps chose to improve his pitching at junior college. Blakely expects Phelps to be featured heavily on the team.
“With pure strikeout stuff, we expect our pitching staff to feature Travis in a big way next year,” Blakely said. “Bobcat fans should be excited to watch this guy put on the maroon and gold.”
Among the high school recruits is catcher Chris Bernal from McAllen, Texas. Bernal had a .490 hitting percentage and batted in 15 runs during a shortened 2020 season.
Blakely says he is impressed with Bernal’s skill at such a young age and expects him to make an instant impact.
“At our level, it is very difficult to find catchers in the high school ranks that are ready to come in and play from a defensive perspective,” Blakely said. “Being one of the highest-rated recruits in the Sun Belt Conference, we have major expectations for Chris’ career as a Bobcat.”
Left-handed pitcher Victor Loa is coming to the team with 226 strikeouts and a run average of 1.44.
Blakely emphasizes the performance of the pitcher and his leadership throughout the state of Texas.
“Victor is one of the best pure pitchers in the state of Texas,” Blakely said. “Possessing a real three-pitch mix with a fastball in the upper 80s, Victor has been amongst the leaders in the state of Texas for strikeouts the past couple of years.”
Jeb Drewery is a left-handed pitcher from Hallsville, Texas. Perfect Game ranked Drewery as the 97th best left-handed pitcher in the nation and 12th in the state of Texas.
Blakely is impressed with how Drewery has developed physically and expects his athletic abilities to translate well to the baseball field.
“Jeb is a hard-nosed left-handed pitcher from East Texas who has a knack for winning every time you hand him the ball,” Blakely said. “[He is] another guy in this class with a large frame; recent development has seen his velocity soar and will give him the ability to have some power stuff on the mound.”
McCray Gann is a right-handed pitcher from Odessa, Texas. In his 2020 season at Permian High School, Gann had a 2.62 earned run average and 20 strike-outs in 16 innings.
Blakely says he is impressed by the growth Gann exhibited over the year.
“A late bloomer in the class, he made a huge velocity jump over the summer,” Blakely said. “A former middle linebacker at Odessa Permian High School, McCray has the mindset to attack hitters and should be comfortable in pressure moments…We look forward to seeing his development over the next eight months and think he has a chance to be an impact arm for our future.”
Another recruit from the 2020 class is right-handed pitcher and infielder Dylan Kerbow from The Woodlands, Texas.
Kerbow had a 1.00 earned run average and contributed to The Woodlands High School’s 13-2-2 record.
Kerbow played summer ball at the Hunter Pence Baseball Academy. He comes from a line of athletes ranging from collegiate to professional.
Kerbow’s diversity in positions has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff at Texas State. Blakely says Kerbow’s ability to play multiple positions will be an asset for Texas State.
“Dylan is another guy in this class who gets more physical every time you see him,” Blakely said. ” A two-way player with a sweet left-handed swing, he is one of the rare guys who may actually have the ability to both pitch and hit for his entire career. Dylan is very polished for his age on the mound with an arsenal of pitches he throws for strikes.”
Outfielder/infielder Daylan Pena will be coming to San Marcos by way of Corpus Christi, Texas.
In his freshman season, Pena had a .438 hitting percentage with a .526 on-base percentage. He also had seven home runs, 52 RBI and 32 runs.
In a shortened 2020 season, Pena maintained a high .404 hitting percentage with four home runs and 22 RBI.
“Daylan has worked his tail off over the last year to transform his body and turn himself into a great all-around baseball player,” Blakely said. “We expect him to be a mainstay in the middle of the lineup for years to come.”
For a full list of Texas State baseball recruits, visit the Texas State Athletics website.
Golf
When it comes to Texas State men’s golf recruitment, the team added two new golfers during the early signing period: Jack Burke and Hayes Hutton.
Burke was named the 2019 Class 4A State Champion before signing with Texas State.
Hutton, who has family with Texas State ties, placed third individually in the 2019 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 4A State Tournament.