When Chase Mora first visited Texas State via FaceTime, he knew he had found his family. Now, five years later, he’s Texas State’s all-time home run leader.
On April 3, the senior infielder hit his 37th career home run, surpassing future MLB Hall of Famer and Bobcat alumn Paul Goldschmidt’s record set in 2009.
“It’s pretty cool; I mean, anytime you’re in a sentence with Paul Goldschmidt, you’re doing something right, and that’s a future Hall of Famer, so I couldn’t be more excited,” Mora said.
Mora started his baseball career at just three years old, playing T-ball and Little League. At seven, he started playing travel ball, and his dad, a former college baseball player, coached him.
“My dad being my coach growing up, he pushed me to go give it my best every day,” Mora said. “So I think a lot of [the love] came from him and his love for the game and passing it down.”
Family is a crucial part of Mora’s baseball career so far. The dream began with his family, and it came full circle when they were in the stands watching him make program history.
“That’s what you dream. You want to do it in front of your family, the people that believed in you at first and the people that got you there,” Mora said. “Just being able to do that in front of them was truly unbelievable, and I’m proud I could do it at home.”
Mora built another family in San Marcos, too. Head Coach Steven Trout said the homegrown talent from Mora is commendable, especially as the transfer portal continues to heat up in collegiate athletics.
“Now, with the portal era, program records don’t get broken as much because guys aren’t there for all four years,” Trout said. “So it’s awesome to see somebody that did that for four years, and now they set the record, and hopefully he leaves it broken even more over the next 30, 40 games.”
Mora said when he looked into colleges, he chose Texas State due to the familial connection he felt to the program. Trout said this pushes him every day to make both himself and his team better.
“He loves Texas State. He loves San Marcos. He loves this program,” Trout said. “He’s putting his mark on it in different aspects … These are his brothers and his family, so he wants to do something special with this group.”
Senior outfielder Rashawn Galloway came to Texas State in 2023, the same year Mora arrived in San Marcos. He said he’s witnessed Mora’s immense growth, and he’s earned the accolade.
“Knowing Chase for years now, I think it was really cool. I think the kid’s earned it,” Galloway said. “He’s trusted the process … And I think there’s nobody better in the program to do it. Every homer he’s hit, he’s earned; it was never given to him.”
Even throughout the transfer portal era, Mora has stayed loyal to Texas State. He credits that to his family values and the closeness he feels toward the program.
“This is the place I wanted to be; this is where I started,” Mora said. “That’s something my dad and grandpa have always preached: if you’re going to start something, finish it and do it the right way.”
The home run record was on the team’s mind since the year started. Baseball is a very superstitious sport, so Trout said no one on the team really talked about the chance that Mora could break the record.
Once Mora broke the record, though, he said he felt a large sense of relief, and he continues to push the team throughout the season.
“I felt all the weight on my shoulders go away; I was free,” Mora said. “When I was running the bases, I was just thinking about my grandpa and my mom and my dad and everything they’ve done to get me to this point.”
Baseball is just as much a mental game as a physical game. Trout said that as players go through ups and downs, like Mora, it is important for the team to keep them fresh and looking forward to the next game.
“[Mora’s] a freshman All-American, everything’s going right, then he goes through different periods as every great player does,” Trout said. “Then the next year, it’s not as good a year, and we didn’t have as good of a year as a team. So you start battling how to handle success, then you battle how to handle failure.”
Texas State looks to continue the momentum of the season, especially because the Bobcats have postseason aspirations.
“It feels awesome,” Mora said. “Pressure’s off our shoulders. I can just go play, go be free, and obviously, with the way this season’s going, we could be playing until June.”
Mora will have his next chance to add more home runs to his record number at 6 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2026, at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss, when the ‘Cats take on #22 Southern Miss. The game is available to stream on ESPN+.
