Texas State baseball takeaways: Pitching collapse dooms Bobcats in series loss to Troy

SAN MARCOS — Texas State baseball dropped a series against Troy in a doubleheader Saturday, losing the first 15-2 and the second 12-11 in 11 innings.

The Bobcats won Friday's opener 8-5 on a walkoff home run by infielder Dawson Park. But the Texas State pitchers were shelled the entire weekend, giving up 39 hits over three games. Texas State held an 11-10 lead entering the ninth inning of Game 3 before Troy right fielder Aaron Piasecki tied the game on an RBI single off reliever Cade Smith. Troy infielder Josh Pyne scored the go-ahead run in the 11th with a home run to left field, which stayed just inside the foul line.

MORE: Texas State baseball beats Texas A&M

Texas State will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., next week for a series against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are a top-three team in the Sun Belt and are ranked 12th in the NCAA RPI rankings.

Here are some takeaways from Texas State's series against Troy.

Any pitching solutions?

The Texas State starting pitcher conundrum has reached critical levels. None of the three weekend starters — Kyle Froehlich, Jesus Tovar and Sam Hall — pitched five innings. Tovar gave up nine runs in 4 ⅔ innings, and Froehlich allowed three runs in three. Hall also allowed three runs after recording only one out.

The Trojans bats aren't especially prolific; they rank seventh in the Sun Belt in RBIs and 10th in slugging percentage before the series. Therefore, their strong offensive weekend speaks volumes about the Bobcats' arms.

One possible option for Texas State is transitioning freshman closer Wade Cooper into a starter role. He came in after Hall's struggles, holding Troy to four runs (three earned) on six hits in 4 ⅔ innings of work. Texas State head coach Steven Trout said his staff would explore the option, but warned of the potential ramifications it would have for the rest of the bullpen.

"We want him (Cooper) in the game when the game is on the line," Trout said. "The thought is, you take them out of the bullpen, and somebody else has to do that as well."

Texas State pitcher Sam Hall (36) throws a pitch during the game against Louisiana at Bobcat Ballpark on Saturday, March. 21, 2026 in San Marcos, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

Shaking up the lineup

After infielder Brady Boles failed to record a hit in the first game of the doubleheader, Trout shifted Chase Mora over to second base and brought in Tanner Carson to play third.

Boles is the best defender of the three, but he has struggled to hit in Sun Belt play. He holds a .176 batting average and a .476 on-base plus slugging percentage in 34 at-bats. Considering Texas State's struggles on the mound, Trout said he's looking for more pop from that part of the lineup; Carson, standing in at an imposing 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, delivers just that.

Carson recorded one hit in four plate appearances in Game 3. Although the Bobcats are sacrificing defense to bring in the freshman, they need all the runs they can get.

"Right now, I feel like we've got to scratch every run we can," Trout said.

Jaquae Stewart continues to sizzle

Stewart was crucial for Texas State's win over Texas A&M, and his hot streak rolled over to the weekend. He hit a three-run home run in Friday's win over Troy and then hit three more during the final game of the series. Stewart finished the weekend having gone 5-for-12 at the plate with 12 RBIs.

He's tied with Dawson Park for the team lead in homers with 12. Stewart is the fourth Texas State batter with double-digit home runs, and infielder Ethan Farris is two away from being the fifth.

The Bobcats' offense has been exciting to watch during their hot streak. However, Southern Miss' pitchers boast the best ERA in the conference. If the defense and bullpen can't improve, it will continue to put pressure on the bats to continue their torrid pace, which might be unsustainable.

"If you're chasing a lot of runs, it's hard to continue to outslug people," Trout said.