For the third consecutive season, Texas State baseball opened the year with a series sweep. The Bobcats defeated Binghamton 4-1, 8-7 and 7-4 over the weekend at Bobcat Ballpark.

Here are three takeaways from the Bobcats’ season-opening sweep:

Bobcats can win without leaving the yard

For a program that adopted the mantra “Slam Marcos” over the past few seasons, Texas State was anything but that on a cold and windy weekend at the ballpark. For the first time since 2013, the Bobcats failed to homer on opening weekend.

Instead, Texas State sprayed the diamond with base hits, picking up 28 over the weekend, leading to the team’s 19 total runs.

The weather may have been an obvious factor for the absence of baseballs leaving the yard, but for a team that has been so reliant on the home run in recent years, it was refreshing for fans to see base hits get the job done.

The backend of the bullpen is electric

Texas State’s bullpen could be a real problem for opposing hitters this coming year, specifically the two big arms in the back. Returner Matthew Tippie and newcomer Carson Laws have the potential to be one of the best setup-man/closer duos in the Sun Belt.

Laws appears to be in position to be the Bobcats’ closer this season, as he was called upon for the ninth inning in each of the first two games of the season. Laws converted both of his save opportunities, making it a good start with his new team.

Tippie was one of the mainstays out of the bullpen for the Bobcats last year and it appears it will be that way again this season. Much like Laws, Tippie was called upon in the first two games of the series, with the only difference being Tippie worked the eighth inning in both appearances. Tippie struck out two and didn’t allow a hit across his outings, seemingly fitting right into the setup role out of the pen.

Starting pitchers did their job

The starting rotation was a big question mark coming into 2025. It wasn’t just a question of what the rotation would look like, but also how they would perform. Needless to say, all three starters did their job on opening weekend, as none of them surrendered more than two earned runs.

2024’s Divison III Pitcher of The Year Jackson Teer earned the Friday night nod, making his first start as a Bobcat on opening day. Teer impressed in his outing, punching out seven in 3 2/3 innings, allowing only one earned run.

Sam Hall and Austin Eaton found themselves back in the rotation after being mainstays last year. Hall took the hill Saturday, working four innings, only surrendering two runs on two hits. Hall scattered four walks throughout the outing but managed not to let them cost him too much.

Last year’s opening-day starter, Eaton, took the ball for the series finale on Sunday and turned in the longest outing of the weekend by a Bobcat starter. Eaton worked six strong innings, only giving up one earned run on five hits.