Texas State Baseball: Freshman Duo Help Bobcats Roll Past Cougars

By Travis Atkinson

Texas State continued its hot start Saturday, routing the Washington State Cougars by a score of 10-1 and improving to 2-0 on the season.

A pair of freshman has Bobcat fans excited for the future. In Friday’s season opener, Jonathan Ortega and Nick Perez combined to go three of five at the plate with two runs, including Ortega’s leadoff home run in his first career at bat. The freshman duo did not disappoint Saturday. Ortega picked up right where he left off in the opener, connecting on two of his four at bats and adding an RBI.

“We just try to go out there and have fun,” Ortega said after the game.  “That’s the way you play baseball. You can’t try and take it too serious 24/7.”

Ortega certainly looked to be having fun on the diamond. After his double in the fourth, he even broke out the James Harden “stirring the pot” celebration.  Ortega plays with a swagger that is fun to watch, and as the Bobcats leadoff batter he definitely sets a tone for the rest of the lineup.

Perez also had another solid performance Saturday. He connected on one of his three at bats, and had an RBI. The Austin native spoke about his strong start after the game.

“These first two games have been crazy,” Perez said. “The game is a little bit faster, but you just have to slow it down sometimes and it works outs in a good way.”

So far things have worked out in more than in a good way for the Bobcats. Ortega and Perez highlight an interesting feature of this Bobcat roster: its youth. Eighteen of the Bobcats 33 athletes are underclassman, including 12 freshmen, and Saturday’s lineup featured only three upperclassmen. This will be something to pay attention to going forward, as the progress of these players will certainly go a long way in determining the Bobcats success. It bodes well for the Bobcats to see their underclassmen playing this strong early.

“Coming in we knew what their abilities could be,” Bobcat Head Coach Ty Harrington said after the game. “What they’ve done is stepped into the moment and not stepped away from it.”

But the freshmen were not the only ones to get in on the action Saturday.  Senior Cody Lovejoy had the best day of the bunch, coming up only a home run shy of a complete cycle. After going one for five in the opener, Lovejoy was able to connect on three of his five at bats Saturday and had three RBI. Lovejoy helped fuel the Bobcat’s 6-run explosion in the second inning with a triple into center field.  He credited the team’s commitment to unselfish play with the win.

“When you take team at bats the team wins,” Lovejoy said. “When you take selfish at bats one person might win, but the other eight guys loose.”

Lovejoy is an important piece of this Bobcat squad. As one of the few seniors in the line-up, he provides valuable experience and will serve as an important leader for the young guys. Lovejoy was impressed by the play of the freshmen duo.

“What impresses me most is just how comfortable they are,” Lovejoy said.  “When I got my first start I was pretty nervous, but these guys they’re just stepping in and feeling the moment and they’re producing.”

The Bobcats face the Cougars again Sunday at 1 PM before capping off the four-game series Monday at 5 PM.