COLLEGE STATION — Although Texas State baseball fell to Texas A&M, 9-6 Tuesday, head coach Steven Trout said he liked the way his team responded after the weekend series against Louisiana-Monroe.
“There are no moral victories or moral losses,” Trout said. “But our energy was right. Our compete was right. Our execution was a lot better.”
Texas State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning, rattling off hits and holding Texas A&M to zero runs until the fourth inning. The Aggies jumped out in front, scoring seven runs and refusing to relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.
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Bobcats pitcher Will Canalichio showed promise as a mid-week starter. Despite giving up five runs in 3 ⅔ innings, the right-hander nearly got out of the fourth inning unscathed, if not for a two-out, bloop single by Boston Kellner that brought in two runners and kick-started the Aggies’ scoring.
Here are some takeaways from Texas State’s loss.
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When Canalichio gave up the single to Kellner, Trout pulled the trigger and relieved him for Alex Yearwood. Although the top of the order had come back around, the right-hander only needed one out and possesses one of the best breaking balls in the bullpen. Gavin Grahovac took Yearwood by surprise with a two-RBI single, bringing up outfielder Caden Sorrell.
After two pitches, Yearwood threw his breaking ball. Trout said he thought it was a quality pitch, low and inside, but Sorrell thought otherwise. He scooped the ball up and sent it into the Texas State bullpen for a two-run home run.
Texas State pitcher Will Canalichio (6) throws a pitch during the game against Niagara University at Bobcat Ballpark on Saturday, February. 14, 2026 in San Marcos, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“I don’t know how he hit it out,” Trout said.
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Yearwood held the rest of the Aggies bats at bay until the seventh, when he got another crack at Grahovac and Sorrell. It was a mirror image of the fourth, with the infielder singling and Sorrell sending another pitch out of the park, this time to left field. Despite the tough outing, Yearwood’s composure against the rest of Texas A&M’s lineup impressed Trout.
“Really good job responding to a tough first two batters,” he said.
Nolan Moore out for the year
Freshman pitcher Nolan Moore hasn’t made an appearance since suffering an injury against Washington State, and Trout confirmed what Texas State fans feared after Tuesday’s loss.
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“He’ll be out for the year,” Trout said. “He goes to the doctor this weekend or next week to figure out the exact time frame.”
Texas State pitcher Nolan Moore (26) throws a pitch during the game against Niagara University at Bobcat Ballpark on Saturday, February. 14, 2026 in San Marcos, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Moore had a .53 earned run average through four starts prior to his injury. His absence was felt last Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe, as right-hander Sam Hall gave up five hits and three runs through three innings. Worse, typical Friday starter, Kyle Froehlich, has a 9.00 ERA against Group of Five teams.
Trout will sit down and look, but he doesn’t plan on changing the starting rotation for now, he said. How the Bobcats’ pitchers perform against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns should provide more insight into what the plan could be if the struggles continue.
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MORE: Texas State baseball takeaways: ULM decimates Bobcats’ pitching
What adjustments are needed?
Texas State is riding a five-game losing streak. It’s been outscored 60-26 over that stretch. Losses to two ranked teams, Texas and Texas A&M, are understandable, but what happened against ULM?
Trout said the Bobcat pitchers actually did a decent job of getting ahead in the count against the Warhawks. Their problems arose when it came to finishing off the batters.
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“Our put-away pitches weren’t very good. Those guys did a phenomenal job not striking out,” Trout said.
The Bobcats had a few hard-hit balls caught at the warning track against the Aggies. The bar was low, but the bullpen showed improvement. It might be tempting to search for an immediate fix, but Trout sees the tough stretch as something to learn from.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of wholesale changes,” Trout said. “It’s more about just trying to get better over the next few days and get ready for a really good Lafayette team.”
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