If there is one word to describe the 2024 Texas State baseball season, disappointing seems a good fit. A team riddled with talent went 27-29, missing the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference tournaments.
For Texas State to meet its lofty expectations in 2025, numerous things will need to change for the better, starting with getting pitching back on track.
High-velocity arms might not be as much of a draw as they were 10 years ago due to the ever-increasing number of those capable of throwing 95-plus. Still, when a pitching staff littered with plus-fastballs and good off-speed begins to underperform, people tend to take notice. Texas State pitching coach Chad Massengale’s staff had an earned run average over 5.00 in each of the last two seasons, leading to questions about why.
Aside from the inflated ERA the last two seasons, walks appear to be a real concern for Massengale’s staff and could be the chief reason for the uptick in ERA. Texas State’s pitching walked 4.49 and 4.32 batters per game in 2023 and 2024. Neither of those numbers is a recipe for success in high-level collegiate baseball.
Signs may point to this being a “prove it” year for Massengale, the biggest of which is the arrival of former Texas Longhorns head coach David Pierce. Pierce has been a collegiate coach for 25 years, 13 of which he spent as a head coach. Pierce led the Longhorns to three College World Series appearances in seven seasons at Texas. Before his first head coaching job at Sam Houston, Pierce served as pitching coach at Rice University. From 2006-11, Rice had 27 pitchers drafted under Pierce’s guidance.
On the brighter side for Massengale, he will have some pivotal arms returning next season. Junior pitcher Sam Hall, along with senior pitchers Austin Eaton and Matthew Tippie, were cornerstones of the staff last season. Getting those three arms to perform to their potential will be key to a successful season.
Along with the returners, senior Jackson Teer and junior Carson Laws will be two newcomers to keep an eye on. Both pitchers were mentioned by D1Baseball owner Kendall Rogers in the Texas State Fall Report as guys who could make an immediate impact.
In his two years at Trinity University, Teer posted a 1.47 ERA over 134.1 innings. He was also named a D3 All-American last season. Laws bring an explosive fastball to the table, sitting around 96 mph and getting up to 99. With his explosive fastball comes strikeouts, as he posted a strikeout rate of 14.66 K/9 in his time at Midland College.
While Texas State’s pitching wasn’t the best last year, the offense didn’t do much to give their guys on the hill a ton of support. The Bobcats hit a modest .270 last year. While not traditionally considered a bad team average, it didn’t play in 2024, ranked 10th in the Sun Belt and 192nd in the country. The Bobcats will need to raise that average to compete at the level they want in 2025.
Texas State will start 2025 strong if they can get their big bats on track. After a breakout freshman campaign, junior infielder Chase Mora took a step back during his sophomore season in 2024. Mora returning to form will be a key factor in driving the offense to its potential.
Along with Mora, sophomore outfielder Ryan Farber must also replicate his freshman season for the Bobcats to succeed. Farber led the team with a .340 batting average in the 40 games he played. Staying healthy will also be key for Farber, as he missed significant time last year with an injury.
Lastly, and perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the Bobcats’ previous season was their inability to win close games. Texas State went 12-22 in games decided by three runs or less. Whether it was the pitching being unable to miss a barrel or the offense falling flat, the Bobcats had a hard time finishing tight ball games.
Texas State head coach Steven Trout does not want a repeat of 2024. Expect Trout to push the Bobcats as hard as possible toward their potential success.
