Texas State Bobcats Crush Niagara Purple Eagles 13-0 in Season Opener

Bobcats' pitching dominates and offense explodes late in lopsided victory

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The Texas State Bobcats baseball team opened their 2026 season with a decisive 13-0 win over the Niagara Purple Eagles on Friday night. Graduate transfer pitcher Kyle Froehlich delivered five scoreless innings, and the Bobcats' offense erupted for nine runs in the seventh inning, including a three-run home run and an inside-the-park home run.

Why it matters

The lopsided victory to start the season is an encouraging sign for the Bobcats, who are looking to build on their success from last year. The dominant pitching performance and offensive outburst will give the team confidence as they continue their season and aim to contend in the Sun Belt Conference.

The details

Froehlich struck out eight batters and only allowed two hits in his five innings of work. Senior third baseman Chase Mora hit a two-run home run in the second inning to open the scoring. In the seventh inning, junior transfer outfielder Bennet Fryman hit a three-run home run, and true freshman Jackson Cotton hit an inside-the-park home run as part of a nine-run outburst.

  • The game was played on Friday, February 14, 2026.
  • The Bobcats and Purple Eagles will play again on Saturday, February 15, 2026 at 6:05 PM.

The players

Kyle Froehlich

A graduate transfer starting pitcher for the Texas State Bobcats who delivered five scoreless innings in the season opener.

Chase Mora

A senior third baseman for the Texas State Bobcats who hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

Bennet Fryman

A junior transfer outfielder for the Texas State Bobcats who hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning.

Jackson Cotton

A true freshman for the Texas State Bobcats who hit an inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning.

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What they’re saying

“The feeling of getting the win tonight was amazing, man. Super excited to compete with these guys, we were ready to face somebody else rather than each other.”

— Kyle Froehlich (universitystar.com)

“A lot of it was just trusting my routines. We had a really great gameplan going in, seeing film of [Niagara's] hitters and then my focus was just to execute pitches the best I can. Then, just let the results speak for themselves.”

— Kyle Froehlich (universitystar.com)

“And we kept scoring after [the home run]. And that's big for me, the momentum. Sometimes a homer like that stops momentum because there's nobody on base, but they just kept swinging, kept getting guys to the dish.”

— Coach Trout (universitystar.com)

“I kind of blacked out from third base to home, honestly. I didn't even look up, I was head down thinking it was a triple. Then I saw [Trout] sending me. I was just so fired up, it was one of the coolest things I've done in my life.”

— Jackson Cotton (universitystar.com)

What’s next

The Bobcats and Purple Eagles will play again on Saturday, February 15, 2026 at 6:05 PM, with the game being streamed on ESPN+.

The takeaway

The Bobcats' dominant performance in their season opener is a strong start to their 2026 campaign. Their pitching staff was in control throughout, and the offense showed its ability to break games open with timely hitting. This win will give the team momentum as they look to build on their success and compete for a Sun Belt Conference title.