SAN MARCOS — Texas State baseball’s season opener Friday got off to a slow start, but ended with a bang in a 13-0 win over Niagara.
The Bobcats racked up 15 hits and three home runs, with most of the damage coming in a nine-run seventh inning. Center fielder Jackson Cotton, one of two freshmen in the starting lineup, had two hits and four runs batted in, thanks to his inside-the-park home run.
Texas State leaned on right-handed pitcher Kyle Froehlich as its starter, and he did not disappoint. The UT-Tyler transfer pitched five innings, threw 66 pitches and struck out eight before being replaced by Alec Beversdorf in the sixth.
Article continues below this ad
MORE: Why Texas State baseball is looking to go big before leaving Sun Belt for Pac-12
The Bobcats will return Saturday to take on the Purple Eagles, with freshman left-handed pitcher Nolan Moore taking the mound. Here are some takeaways from Texas State’s first win of the season.
Jackson Cotton glad he chose San Marcos
Texas State head coach Steven Trout said Cotton had opportunities to go straight to the MLB out of high school. However, the Missouri City product chose to stick with the Bobcats, and Cotton doesn’t regret it after a strong start to his career.
Article continues below this ad
After coming up hitless in his first two at-bats, the freshman laced a double down the left field line for Texas State’s first run since Chase Mora’s two-run home run in the second inning. His next time up in the seventh, he launched a missile into center field.
“When I hit second, the ball was still in the air,” Cotton said. “I was probably about three steps before I got to third base. I looked up, I saw Trout waving me, and I was like ‘Oh, I gotta go.'”
His three-run, Little League homer capped off an explosive inning for the Bobcats. There are other freshmen, Trout said, who will get their own opportunities. But Cotton made the most of his in his first appearance.
Article continues below this ad
“There is no better place to be on the face of the earth right now,” Cotton said.
A photo of Texas State’s baseball coach Steven Trout.
Texas State University
Pitching shines
Niagara’s bats had no answer for Froehlich, who had an efficient performance with 44 strikes on 66 pitches. Trout pulled him in the sixth after he said he noticed some fatigue creeping into his starter’s game, and the bullpen picked up right where he left off.
Article continues below this ad
Alec Beversdor was the first reliever out and he pitched two clean innings, picking up two Ks. Senior left-hander Braylen Timmins closed the game, but sandwiched between them was Alex Yearwood, a redshirt freshman and a former walk-on. He pitched the eighth inning, throwing nine strikes on 11 pitches and striking out all three batters he faced.
Trout hadn’t expected much from Yearwood when he said he was going to walk on tryouts. But the pitcher has developed into a weapon that could be useful throughout the season.
“He’s got an electric breaking ball,” Trout said. “He keeps throwing the ball like that, we’ll keep using him quite a bit.”
Some new faces
Both Froehlich and Cotton admitted that facing an opponent other than their teammates was a breath of fresh air.
Article continues below this ad
“I’m tired of seeing the same dudes over and over again,” Cotton said with a grin.
The freshman said the quality of Texas State’s pitchers prepared him for Niagara’s staff. Although he might’ve struggled with his teammates’ nastiness, Cotton adjusted to the pitching. When game time came, nothing the Purple Eagles threw scared him.
Froehlich said in the fall, Texas State’s batters exposed a weakness in his game. It led to him developing a new pitch to get them out, and the results he put up against Niagara speak for themselves.
Article continues below this ad
“We just pushed each other all fall to continue to get better and to continue to grow as players,” Froehlich said.