Saturday, May 30, 2009

A disappointing end to a good season

  • It's tough to put Texas State's 7-4 loss to Army on one entity. Sure, you could blame the bullpen for its second consecutive meltdown, but then the Bobcats' poor defense was off the hook. Well, if you want to put Texas State's lack of fielding on the block, you'll need to add how the Bobcats couldn't hit with runners in scoring position. Texas State left 10 runners on base, seven of which were at second or third base. Bobcat first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said it best during the postgame news conference, "We really didn't deserve to win either of these games, because we didn't play how we have the entire season."
  • Texas State starting pitcher Brian Borski was effectively wild Saturday afternoon. He only allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Yet, he walked four and hit three batters.
  • Bobcat outfielder Bret Atwood made an amazing grab in the fourth inning. He robbed J.P. Polchinki of extra bases with a sprawling catch. The crowd gave him a short standing ovation and it left the press box speechless.
  • Kyle Livingstone mis-bunted a suicide squeeze in the fourth inning which left Jason Martinson high-and-dry at third base.
  • Paul Goldschmidt finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored. It was Goldschmidt's fifth game with two doubles this season.
  • When asked postgame about his future, Goldschmidt said it's still too early to think about and wanted to reflect on this season before making a decision.
  • Goldschmidt was the second-biggest player on the field Saturday afternoon. Army's third baseman Joey Henshaw is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Recapping Texas State vs. Boston College

  • Here's the situation: Bottom of the ninth inning, down by one run, no outs, runner at first and you have a hitter with a .406 average at the plate. If you're the head coach, what do you do? Well, if you're Texas State head coach Ty Harrington, you give the bunt sign to the .406 hitter.
  • Harrington chose to bunt Spenser Dennis, who was 1-for-3 up to that point with a single and a run scored. The Bobcats' head coach said the decision wasn't easy: "I went back and forth on that in the short time that you got to make that decision. You're home. I looked at it, to be honest with you, as wanting to give a junior (Ben Theriot) and a senior (Lance Loftin) a chance to win the game. Was it the safe thing to do to bunt him over? Yeah, it was probably the most conservative thing to do, but again, I thought Ben and Lance were big-time guys for us and I don't mind putting it in their hands."
  • Theriot and Loftin were 3-for-8 combined to that point with an RBI (Loftin) and a strikeout (Loftin). The former laced a ball deep to the warning track which was caught at the wall and Loftin struck out.
  • Texas State will play Army tomorrow at noon for a chance to stay in the tournament.
  • The Bobcats will start Brian Borski.
  • Here are the Daily Record's stories from today's game: Late-inning rally bonks Bobcats and My Two Cents: Bobcats display heart in loss to BC.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

A few notes before the Austin Regional

  • Texas State held their first practice at UFCU Disch-Falk Field today to get ready for the Austin Regional. The Bobcats kick things off tomorrow against Boston College at 1 p.m.
  • Texas State's players looked loose and ready to play. The Bobcats joked around and were locked in at the plate during batting practice.
  • The players held a contest to see who the first person would be to belt a batting practice home run. Any guesses on who was victorious? If you thought it would be Paul Goldschmidt, you were incorrect. Lance Loftin put one just next to the scoreboard in right-center field with his second-to-last at-bat.
  • Kane Holbrooks is relaxed as can be going into tomorrow's start. Holbrooks, who is 10-1 this season, pitched in a big situation before - the Junior College World Series. I talked to him after the press conference today and he told me, "I think I pitch better with a bigger crowd. I don't want to make myself look bad."
  • Goldschmidt continues to not want to take any credit for Texas State's success this season. He was humble during the press conference and gave kudos to each of his teammates for the season. It would be hard not to call him or Holbrooks the team Most Valuable Player this season.
  • Bobcats head coach Ty Harrington seems confident in his team's abilities, but didn't give the most-resounding endorsement during the press conference. "We are excited about being here. There's no question about that. We're confident in what we can do. That doesn't mean that we're going to win. Will we be prepared to step into the moment tomorrow, yes. That doesn't mean everything's going to go our way. We just don't know that yet."
  • If Texas State wins tomorrow, the team will play the winner of Texas-Army on Saturday at 6 p.m. Should the Bobcats lose to Boston College, they will play the loser of Texas-Army on Saturday at high noon.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Texas State earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament

After putting its hands in the fate of the NCAA, Texas State was rewarded with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats will play in the Austin Regional, beginning Friday.

Texas State goes up against Boston College, which earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles finished the regular season 31-23 overall and 13-15 in conference.

Along with Boston College, the Austin Regional features the No. 1 overall seed (Texas) and Army.

The Bobcats play Friday at 1 p.m.


Sunday, May 24, 2009

Texas State awaits its NCAA Tournament fate

Since Texas State lost in the Southland Conference championship game, the team will need to rely on its record and strong RPI to gain entry into the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats posted big wins over Rice and Baylor this season and fought Texas hard in the teams' first meeting.

According to Baseball America, the Web site has Texas State playing in the Austin Regional as a No. 2 seed. The Bobcats would play Missouri State in the first game.

The field of 64 is announced tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. EST.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Texas State thumps No. 12 Northwestern

Here's our story from tonight's game. Texas State really looked good against the Wildcats in the first round of the Waco Regional. The Bobcats walked 11 times, as they took advantage of Lauren Delaney's lack of control.

Texas State plays Baylor tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. and if they win, advance to Sunday's final round. Northwestern and Louisiana-Lafayette each have one loss. One, if not both of those teams will be eliminated tomorrow.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Texas State softball to play No. 12 Northwestern

The 2009 NCAA Softball Tournament seedings and host sites were announced Sunday night and Texas State learned it will be playing Northwestern in Waco.

The Wildcats are ranked 12th in the nation and are 31-13. 

If the Bobcats win, they will play the winner of Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Baylor. Game time between Texas State and Northwestern is 5 p.m. Friday night.

Friday, May 8, 2009

A few notes...

  • The Texas State softball team reached the Southland Conference tournament finals after beating McNeese State 1-0.
  • Chandler Hall pitched the complete game, striking out seven while walking two.
  • Allyce Rother delivered the big hit, a solo home run in the fifth to score the only run of the game.
  • Taylor Hall and Jenna Emery both went 2-for-3, while Ryan Kos and Leah Boatright picked up a hit.
  • Texas State plays the winner of UTSA/SHSU vs. McNeese State tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.