Bobcats win 4 of 6 games at River State Classic

Texas State softball played six games in the River State Classic, winning four games between a bookend of losses, concluding Sunday with a 3-2 defeat in 10 innings to future Pac-12 opponent Colorado State.

After its opening games, Texas State defeated Colorado State 3-2 on Friday and Kansas City the next day, 3-1. Their final win occurred Sunday with a 10-2 run-rule over Brown. The Bobcats are now 9-6 on the season. Next up, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will visit Thursday before starting a three-game series against Southeastern Louisiana.

Here are some takeaways from Texas State’s performance in the River State Classic.

MORE: Texas State softball avenges loss to Oklahoma State with clutch win over Kansas City

Last week, Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard used left-handed ace pitcher Madison Azua in three of four games played. She one-upped herself during the River State Classic, making an appearance in all six games, starting three and pitching 28⅓ innings. 

Even when Emma Strood started, Azua would come in for relief. Against the Rams, Strood pitched three innings, gave up two hits and struck out three. Azua replaced her in the fourth and pitched for the next seven innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. That came hours after she threw four innings against Brown.

Cal St. Fullerton’s Trisha McCleskey leads the nation in innings pitched with 58⅔, according to the NCAA. However, Azua is second after her performance last weekend with 57. It’s an intense workload, but thus far the ace has proven she can handle it. She has 57 strikeouts and a 2.48 earned run average despite it all.

Utility player Katarina Zarate missed the entire 2025 season due to injury. After a bit of a slow start, the redshirt junior has shown explosive power that had pitchers dancing around the strike zone over the weekend. She’s tied with infielder Aiyana Coleman with four home runs in 15 games, two shy of her season-high six that she recorded over 56 games in 2024.

Zarate showed off an increased feel of the strike zone in the final two games of the River State Classic, walking four times without a strikeout. Despite a .225 batting average, she has an on-base plus slugging of .829 and her 11 RBIs are second on the team.

It’s been a long journey back, but Zarate’s ability to drive in runs gives Texas State a deadly punch in the middle of the order. The Victoria native could make opponents pay if they continue to pitch around Coleman, who has 14 walks and 15 RBIs.

Part of the reason why Woodard used Azua in relief of Strood is her faith in the ace. The other is that none of the Bobcats’ relief pitchers have proven themselves capable.

Right-hander Analisa Soliz saw the most usage, making two appearances and allowing three earned runs in 5⅓ innings. Fellow righty Abigail Jennings held Oklahoma State scoreless through 1⅓ innings, but gave up three hits and a run in the same amount of work against Kansas City. Texas State used its two freshman arms, Chesney Davis and Kaili Witherell, in past games, but neither took the circle in the River State Classic.

There’s currently mounting pressure on Azua to be nearly flawless in games. Texas State hasn’t been able to rally when its ace struggles, as seen in losses to Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Colorado State. A reliable backup would give the Bobcats more flexibility and take a load off Azua’s plate, which is already full.