Beating the No. 1 ranked team in the country is enough to get national recognition, but if it were enough to make D1Baseball’s Top 25, Cal Poly (2-5) would be ranked. However, Cal Poly beat the No. 1 Texas A&M Aggies (5-2) by one run- and Texas State (6-2) beat them by four.

Along with the 7-3 win over the Aggies on Tuesday, a series win against Grand Canyon (5-3) this weekend should be the final push toward Texas State earning a spot in D1Baseball’s Top 25. Additionally, the Bobcats beat the then-ranked No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3) 4-2 at Globe Life Field on Tuesday last week, further strengthening their chances of becoming ranked.

If the series against Grand Canyon goes smoothly for the Bobcats, the only thing potentially preventing them from earning a Top 25 ranking from D1Baseball is their 15-3 loss to Illinois on Saturday. While the Bobcats bounced back with a 5-2 victory in game two of the series, they lost game three 7-4.

Illinois is a formidable opponent, coming off a 2024 Big Ten championship and boasting a 5-2 record this season. Still, that series loss, especially the game one loss, could hurt Texas State’s chances of earning a Top 25 ranking. However, beating two ranked teams should, hopefully for Texas State, trump that.

No signs point toward Texas State slowing down anytime soon. Left-hander Jesus Tovar probably pitched his way into the weekend rotation for conference play, giving up two runs in 8 2/3 innings combined against both ranked teams the Bobcats faced this season. Ryne Farber and Ethan Farris each have an OPS over .950, Austin Eaton leads the team in home runs with three and is also a part of the weekend rotation, and the bullpen is abundant with arms who have shown they can mow down future MLB players with ease.

Of course, if the Bobcats have a terrible weekend against Grand Canyon, all hopes of becoming ranked on Monday are out the window. But if all goes as planned for head coach Steven Trout, expect to see more national recognition for the Bobcats.