Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Opening up the Cats' Cradle mailbag

Beginning this week, I'll be fielding questions sent to me and answering them in a lump sum either in the San Marcos Daily Record or here on the blog. It completely depends on the response from you — the fans.

So you can either post a question here in the comments or e-mail me at tmayforth@sanmarcosrecord.com.

Please keep them centered around Texas State athletics, but an occasional odd-ball question will be answered too. Thanks a lot.

Friday, May 21, 2010

College Football: Possible RB transfer to Texas State?

Got a few e-mails regarding a possible transfer to Texas State from the United State Naval Academy.

Marcus Curry, who was a standout slotback for the Midshipmen, recently left the USNA and declared his intent to transfer to Texas State (according to this report on USNavySeals.com).

Curry appeared in 11 games for Navy in 2009, rushing 80 times for 585 yards and five touchdowns. He was the team's leading receiver, catching 10 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

There are a few contradicting reports out about why Curry left the Midshipmen. According to one, Curry was kicked off the team after failing to comply with school rules. According to another, Curry left on his own accord.

Keep checking back for more as the situation unfolds.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

College Athletics: Texas State expressing interest in four conferences

According to a high source within the Texas State Department of Athletics, the Bobcats have expressed high interest in joining four Football Bowl Subdivision conferences when the NCAA moratorium is lifted in 2011.

Texas State has talked with Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt and the Western Athletic Conference about joining once movement is allowed.

This is on the heels of a report published by the Las Cruces Sun-News about a possible realignment in the WAC. WAC Commissioner Karl Benson was quoted as to saying "four or five schools" asked about joining the conference — Cal Davis, Cal Poly, Montana, Portland State, Sacramento State and Texas State.

"You can rest assured those conferences know our intentions," the source said. "We've had people in contact with them for the better part of a year, showing them pictures of improvements we've made to facilities and trying to convince them we'd be a good fit."

Dominoes could start to fall for the Bobcats once conferences begin holding their annual summer meetings.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

College Baseball: J-Mart steals home

Baseball is usually a game of intricate signs and technical, lingo-based conversations.

While that may be true, it wasn't the case in the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday's games between Texas State and Prairie View A&M.

With Jason Martinson standing 90 feet from scoring the go-ahead run, Bobcats third-base coach Jeremy Fikac pulled Martinson aside. Fikac, a former pitcher in the MLB, had timed Panthers pitcher Benjamin Blackburn's delivery and noticed a hitch.

"Fikac pulled out his stopwatch and turned to me after the first pitch and was like, 'Three seconds. You think you can make it home?'," Martinson said. "I was like, 'Yeah. Do you want me to?' He told me, 'If you get a big enough lead, just take off.'"

Martinson began to inch off third base and once Blackburn began his ensuing delivery, the junior broke for home.

"I got a pretty good jump and had a pretty good lead to start with," Martinson said, "so I knew I was going to make it."

It was Martinson's eighth stolen base of the season.

Friday, May 14, 2010

College Football: More on the Soza transfer

In case you didn't get to see Friday's edition of the San Marcos Daily Record, here's the story that ran in the print edition about Eric Soza's decision to transfer from Texas State.

I spoke with Soza's father, Chris (who is the head football coach at Alice High School), this morning.

He told me, "This was a difficult decision for Eric to make because he always wanted to go to Texas State and was happy with the opportunity he got both academically and athletically, but at the end of the day, college athletics are a business. Eric felt, and after he spoke with us about it, that he'd be better suited transferring to a different school."

When I asked if Eric had relayed how impressed the coaches were with his performance in spring practice, Chris told me, "Yes and we got the impression from the coaches that he'd be in the running to earn the starting job, but he decided that he'd have a better opportunity elsewhere. Eric is a 19-year-old kid and I told him I'd support his decision no matter what, but he'd need to be absolutely sure it's what he wanted."

Soza has yet to make a decision as to where he wants to transfer, but his father said contacts have been made to several schools that he didn't want to name.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

College Football: Soza to transfer

Texas State redshirt freshman quarterback Eric Soza has decided to transfer.

It's a rather abrupt decision by Soza, who looked to be a shoo-in for the starting job come fall. Soza impressed at spring practice thanks to his accurate passing and accelerated understanding of the playbook. He completed 9-of-14 passes for 85 yards and four touchdowns during the final scrimmage.

The Bobcats are now left with redshirt junior Tim Hawkins and junior Bryan Hill as the remaining quarterbacks on the depth chart. Texas State will gain a talented, but unproven, quarterback when two-a-days begin and heralded freshman Tyler Arndt arrives on campus.

UPDATE: "Eric felt there would be a better opportunity for him somewhere else and once he made up his mind," Bobcats head coach Brad Wright said, "the only thing you can do is wish him the best of luck."

UPDATE: I talked with Soza's father, who is the head football coach at Alice High. You can read that interview here.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

College Softball: Four named to All-SLC teams

Texas State recently had four players receive postseason honors from the Southland Conference.

Leah Boatright and Chandler Hall were both named to the All-SLC First Team, while Jenna Emery landed on the Second Team. Anna Hernandez, a Hays High product, earned honorable mention for her stellar freshman season.

Boatright batted .305 for the Bobcats with eight home runs and 39 RBIs while posting an on-base percentage of .338.

Hall, who was also named SLC Pitcher of the Year, starred at both the plate and on the mound for Texas State. She batted .289 with 16 RBIs while posting a 17-13 record in 32 starts. Hall also struck out 231 batters in 213 2/3 innings pitched.

Emery is an on-base machine for Texas State, posting 19 walks while being hit by 21 pitches. She batted .278 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.

Hernandez was an unknown coming into the season, but showed she had what it takes to excel on the next level. She slugged seven home runs and knocked in 25 runs for the Bobcats in 2010.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

College Baseball/Softball: A look at the standings

SLC Baseball Standings

Texas State 18-6
Stephen. F. Austin 16-7
UT-Arlington 16-8
N'western State 15-8
SE Louisiana 15-9
McNeese State 14-10
Lamar 11-13
Nicholls 11-3
Sam Houston State 9-15
Texas A&M-CC 8-16
UTSA 5-19
UCA 5-19

Analysis: Texas State is in the driver's seat. If the Bobcats can take two of three in each of their final three conference series, they'll clinch another regular season conference championship and most likely gain entry into an NCAA Regional. Texas State has an easy schedule the rest of the way, with its only true competition coming against UT-Arlington in the final series of the regular season — but it's within the friendly confines of Bobcat Field.


SLC Softball Standings

Texas State 19-8
Stephen F. Austin 18-9
UT-Arlington 16-12
McNeese State 15-12
Nicholls 15-12
UTSA 14-13
Texas A&M-CC 13-14
UCA 12-14
Sam Houston State 11-15
N'western State 11-16
SE Louisiana 3-22

Analysis: The regular season conference title will be decided this weekend when Texas State travels to Nacogdoches to face Stephen F. Austin. The Bobcats lead the Lumberjacks by a single game in the standings, so if Texas State wins two of three, the title is coming back to San Marcos. One just has to worry if that's possible with the way the Bobcats have been playing recently. Texas State has just won three out of its last 10 games, but the club is on the right track after two wins to wrap up the series with Northwestern State.