The NCAA baseball season officially ended on June 22, but for Texas State, the season came to an end far sooner. A 4-2 loss to Troy exactly one month earlier on May 22 signaled the end to yet another disappointing season for Bobcat baseball
With losing comes consequences and the consequences of another subpar season began to show for Texas State baseball very quickly.
Just five days after the Bobcats’ season came to an end, Friday night starter Alex Valentin announced on social media that he is entering his name into the NCAA transfer portal, starting the domino effect that ensued. Less than an hour after Valentin’s announcement, Matthew Tippie, a staple of the Bobcat bullpen, announced his entry into the transfer portal as well. Before the day ended, perhaps the biggest announcement came in the form of Ryne Farber, who, after two successful seasons as a Bobcat, entered his name in the transfer portal as well.
In his lone season as a Bobcat, Valentin went 5-5 with a 6.12 ERA. Although Valentin didn’t have the strongest end to his season, he was arguably the best pitcher on the Bobcats’ staff through the middle stretch of the season, which is why he earned himself the Friday night role. With strong outings against teams like Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana and Troy, Valentin undoubtedly upped his stock throughout the country.
Farber and Tippie both spent two years in San Marcos and were both crucial factors into whether the team would be successful. When Tippie arrived in San Marcos in 2024, he immediately became the high leverage, back-end bullpen guy for Texas State head coach Steven Trout. Tippie flashes electric stuff on the mound with a mid to upper 90’s fastball and an array of offspeed pitches to go with it. In 46.0 innings of work, Tippie struck out an eye popping 73 batters. The only knock on Tippie is his command, as he has a tendency to give up the walk.
Farber was one of the few consistent bright spots in the Bobcat baseball program the last two years. Farber made the opening day roster as a true freshman and immediately validated Trout’s choice to pencil his name in. In 2024, Farber hit .340 with a pair of homers, 10 doubles, a triple and drove in 25 runs. Taking a slight step back in 2025, Farber only hit .267 but still seemed to be the guy wanted up to the plate in the big spot.
Both Farber and Tippie have since committed to schools in Alabama. Tippie was first to announce his commitment to the University of Alabama, Farber followed shortly after and announced his commitment to Auburn. The two former teammates will now be bitter rivals in what is widely considered the best baseball conference in the country.
Along with Farber and Tippie, Valentin announced his commitment to South Carolina, meaning all three will remain in the same conference as SEC foes next season.
Catchers Theo Kummer and Ian Collier, relievers Taylor Seay and Ryan Lawton, along with infielders Kutter Gage-Webb and Travis Bragg have all entered the transfer portal as well. While none of the aforementioned were everyday starters, their collective departures add more holes to an already thinning roster.
While much of the portal news regarding Texas State baseball has been players departing, Trout is still out there trying to make a splash. Former Texas first baseman Jaquae Stewart recently announced his commitment to the Bobcats.
While Stewart didn’t get a very many at-bats in Austin, he had a big 2024 at Northwest Florida State College where he slashed .346/.555/.743 with 15 home runs to go along with those numbers.
