SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team (1-0) opened the 2026 season with a 13-0 victory over Niagara (0-1) on Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark. It is the first time the Bobcats have shutout an opponent in the first game of a season since 2010 at Houston.
 
Picking up the win on the rubber was Kyle Froehlich after he threw five shutout frames. The right-hander had eight strikeouts, the most by a TXST hurler in the season opener since Levi Wells had nine in 2023. Carter Fink (0-1) took the loss after surrendering two runs on three hits while punching out four in 4.2 innings.
 
Alec Beversdorf tossed two innings with two strikeouts out of the bullpen. Alex Yearwood struck out the side in his lone inning of work and Braylen Timmins recorded two punch outs in a scoreless ninth.
 
In their first collegiate games, both Tanner Carson and Jackson Cotton went 2-for-4 at the plate. Cotton finished with four RBI and hit a double and home run while Carson scored once and swiped a base. Bennett Fryman also had two hits with a double and homer while driving in three runs and scoring twice.
 
Also finishing with two hits on the night were Brady Boles, Austin Munguia and Dawson Park. Hitting his 32nd career home run was Chase Mora.
 
The first runs of the season for Texas State came in the second when Mora hit a two-run homer to left center that traveled 435 feet. The Bobcats nearly began a rally in the third but saw the Purple Eagles prevent it by turning a triple play.
 
In both of those innings on the mound, Froehlich stuck out the side.
 
The Bobcats' offense came alive in the seventh when they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored nine runs. Both Cotton and Fryman hit three-run homers with Cotton's being an inside the park round tripper. Texas State would score twice more in the eighth to cap off the scoring on the night.
 
Game two of the series is scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
 
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