1-27-2026

11 MAJOR CRASHES IN 2025

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TUESDAY

January 27, 2026

VOLUME 115 ISSUE 18

LIFE & ARTS

RESEARCH INTO PECOS RIVER

STYLE PAINTINGS CONTINUES

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Faculty, alumni arrange decades of metalsmithing

SPORTS SOFTBALL FACES MARQUEE OPPONENTS

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An 11-foot-tall array of black, fluted steel columns and arches fills a room at TXST Galleries.

Cast classical fragments, laboratory glass, bronze botanical forms and flexible metal conduits formed into various hybrids to decorate the columns. As visitors wandered between the columns on Jan. 20, they were immersed in the environ-

ment, presented with the question of preserving and defining nature amid human intervention.

The large metal installation, “At the Edge of Paradise,” is part of the solo exhibition “Foregrounding Paradise,” which features the work of Beverly Penn, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Texas State University. Through “Foregrounding Paradise” and the group exhibition “Deeply Routed,” they showcase the creativity and community forged through

metalsmithing, the practice of transforming metal to create objects.

Penn recently retired from teaching and was a faculty advisor for the TXST Metals program, the university’s metals guild, for 25 years.

Nicole DesChamps-Benke, professor of instruction, said “Deeply Routed” would bring together current and former TXST Metals members.

Rebuild to relevance: Where Texas State stands heading into the Pac-12

By Adrian Ramirez Sports Editor

After years of fighting for relevance, Texas State football is no longer defined by a losing record and is on the fast track to a new page in the program.

A culture shift has seemingly taken place in the Bobcat football locker room, as in last three years, Texas State went from a bottom-feeder to a program capable of garnering national attention.

“Texas State wasn’t known for being bowl eligible and [winning games], to be able to help change the culture at Texas State and now we have three back-to-back bowl wins, it just means everything,” senior running back Lincoln Pare said. “We have great guys in the locker room and that’s what ultimately pushed us over the edge.” Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne also appears to be pleased with how far the program has come in the three years since he took the job in San Marcos.

“I think we’re probably further along than most anticipated when I

took the job,” Kinne said. “I think there’s a lot of momentum heading into the new conference … I think the way we ended the season, we did that the right way. There’s a lot of excitement, and the guys are ready to go to work.”

Prior to Kinne’s arrival on campus in 2023, Texas State hadn’t had a

winning season since 2014 and had never been selected to a bowl game. Now, through Kinne’s first three seasons, the Bobcats were selected to and won three straight bowl games.

By Arabella DiChristina Assistant News Editor

Texas State hosted its third annual State of Texas State speech, highlighting the university’s milestones over the year and its goals going forward on Jan. 23.

For the first time, the speech was open to the Texas State community, unlike past years when it was only open to faculty and staff. Within the LBJ Student Center, the ceremony opened with the student choir VocaLibra, followed by a speech from Texas State President Kelly Damphousse and a live recording of Damphousse’s podcast The Current.

Texas State reached record enrollment numbers for the fall 2025 semester with a total enrollment of 44,630 students, comprised of a recordbreaking freshman class of 9,329 students, 5,215 graduate students, 3,968 online students and 2,083 international students. Texas State also added a 10th doctoral program and is expected to reach R1 status by the end of 2027.

By Ryan Claycamp News Editor

According to documents from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the Chick-fil-A location inside the LBJ Student Center is set to be remodeled over the summer.

Texas State spokesperson Jayme Blaschke said Texas State facilities expects to begin the remodel on May 18 and will conclude by July 31. The TDLR license for the remodel lists the start date as May 5 and the completion date as Aug. 8.

“TXST is moving forward with the 2025-036 LBJSC Suite 105 Chick-fil-A Renovation,” Blaschke wrote in an email to The Star. “A site walk with the contractor was held on Thursday, Jan. 8, and the contractor’s cost proposal is expected this week.”

The TDLR documents state the remodel will be non-structural and will include a full-service front counter, new walls and upgraded equipment. The project is estimated to cost $700,000.

City investigates 11 major crashes in 2025; safety tips

By Jakob Salsgiver News Contributor

The San Marcos Police Department Collision Investigation Team (CIT) investigated 11 major crashes, and nine fatal crashes within city limits in 2025 according to Russell Wilde, SMPD public communications specialist.

Wilde wrote in an email to The Star that he was unaware if there was an increase in accidents in 2025. Wilde provided data comparing November 2024 to November 2025, showing a 3% decrease in accidents. However, there was a 5% increase in accidents when comparing December 2024 to December 2025, with 14 more accidents in 2025.

Consumer Affairs conducted a study detailing five factors to designate Texas cities with a crash score. The factors include fatalities due to crashes, crashes related to bad driving, speeding fatalities, drunk driving fatalities and fatalities involving possible blood alcohol content. San Marcos ranked consistently among the top five in each category, being the fourth highest regarding deaths by speeding and deaths involving blood alcohol content and fifth highest regarding deaths involving driving under the influence.

San Marcos received a crash score of 56.60, ranking as the second highest in Texas, behind Galveston with a score of 97.63. San Marcos was considerably above the state average, which was 35.98, according to the study.

Subasish Das, an assistant civil engineering professor with core research in transportation safety, said there are multiple reasons crashes

increased from 2022 to 2024, such as a growing population contributing to the number of miles traveled and high amounts of construction.

“The San Marcos population [is] increasing, and then if the population increases, it also increases the total number of vehicle miles traveled. So, [more] vehicle miles traveled means [there are] all kids of collisions, and then there [are] so many construction related works in San Marcos,” Das said. “In 2022, there [were] around 1,300 traffic crashes in San Marcos. ... In 2024, it [was] over 1,500. So it is increasing.”

San Marcos has a variety of construction projects planned in the future, including rehabilitating a wastewater line along I-35 from Ellis to Wonder World and implementing shared pathways across the San Marcos River and I-35. Both projects are set to begin construction in 2027, according to San Marcos Capital Improvement Projects.

San Marcos officials, such as Sargent Garner Ames of the SMPD have stated in past interviews with The Star that the combination of distraction, construction and congestion lead to increases in roadway accidents.

Das said the main way to prevent accidents is to enact countermeasures. For drunk drivers, a counteraction would be an increase in enforcement. He also said that road geometry is important to preventing crashes.

“Make the lane wider … Provide enough shoulder width, edge line, maybe rumble strips so that we can prevent [running off the road crashes]” Das said. “For [pedestrians] and bicyclists, we need [facilities] like a sidewalk, definitely [a] crosswalk.”

“New growth is great, but we also have to be very practical and intentional in how we do that growth,” Damphousse said. “We don’t want to overwhelm the city of San Marcos; we recognize that growth can happen in Texas State without it all happening right here.”

Hays County is the second-fastest-growing large county in the nation with a 16.4% population surge from 2020 to 2023 due to it’s location on the I-35 corridor and Texas State, according to Opportunity Austin.

“And we’re right in the middle of that growth and that size,” Damphousse said. “With that growth comes tremendous opportunity, which brings profound responsibilities as well. A responsibility has served the higher education needs of this region, and compare a workforce ready, well-rounded graduate school will contribute as citizens and leaders across Texas.”

With 90% of the student population coming from Texas, Damphousse said the university is helping locals receive degrees. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board wants 60% of Texans between the ages of 25 and 64 to receive a degree or certificate by 2030.

Damphousse said most of Texas State’s growth has been through online, Round Rock and community college programs, while the San Marcos campus has been steadily increasing. Damphousse said that with 14 online courses and 75 degree plans planned for fall 2026, more online growth is a goal for the university.

“There are people who are time and placebound that can’t leave where they are because they’ve got a job, they’ve got a family, but they want to get an undergraduate degree,” Damphousse said.

Elyse Herbert, a psychology junior, said she has had a series of negative experiences driving within the San Marcos area.

“I’ve had several instances where the driving, not just the drivers on the road, but even the road structure itself in San Marcos, it did make me a little bit anxious while driving,” Herbert said.

Herbert said near the LBJ Student Center bus loop, drivers frequently drive dangerously around a curve. Approximately 25% of roadway deaths take place on curves yearly, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Around curves,

enrollment. However, the university will break enrollment records within: overall headcount, new doctoral students, total master’s students, total undergraduate students, semester credit hours, total international students , new master’s programs and the Round Rock campus.

“You can see an increase in the quality of students that they started admitting. The category of applications that’s increased the most is the top 10% and top 25% of high school seniors are the ones to come here.” Damphousse said.

The university added 32 new and in-development programs, with 11 doctoral programs, eight master’s programs and 13 bachelor’s programs. Additionally, there is a total of 100 AI-integrated courses offered to students. St. David’s School of Nursing ranked second in Texas, the university’s graphic design program ranked third in Texas and 46th nationally, while the drama school ranked 22nd nationally.

“This work reflects strong collaboration across the university faculty, staff, IT, all these areas working together to ensure that AI is used responsibly, sustainably, and are ways that improve the lives [of] students and also what is happening here on campus,” Damphousse said.

According to Damphousse, the first phase of curriculum review is finished.

“Curriculum review has become part of the national conversation and sometimes in a way that’s cast fairly negatively, but I think it’s useful to work,” Damphousse said.

Phase one of the audit had to be completed by Jan. 20, with 685 courses being reviewed for “valueneutrality” within the course curriculum, previously reported by The Star

drivers should slow down and follow warning signs and systems like delineation to help them stay in their respective lanes.

“People don’t slow down when they’re taking that turn. They’ll speed up, they’ll hug that line [very] close, and I could be all the way on the other side and still feel like I’m going to get hit,” Herbert said.

The Texas Department of Transportation offers advice to avoid crashes when driving; including ensuring usage of a seatbelt when driving, non-usage of phones when on the road and being mindful of road conditions.

Texas State President Kelly Damphousse presents The State of Texas speech, Jan. 23, 2026, at LBJ Student Center. Damphousse highlighted the university’s achievements with a constellation theme throughout the presentation FROM FRONT SPEECH

of 7,500 students in the next two years. Looking forward, the university is expecting to improve the campus experience with 23 green space projects, 22 major renovations, 30 major construction projects and the new hotel breaking ground in summer 2026.

Damphousse expects Texas State to set a new record-breaking spring 26 enrollment of almost 42,000 students, which is up 11% in overall

According to the presentation, Texas State has a 80.1% first year retention rate with a 40% four-year graduation rate.

The university is set to reach 50,000 students enrolled at Texas State by next year, with a growth

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LIFE & ARTS

Tuesday,

Texas State research continues to discover meaning behind historical Mesoamerican murals

FEATURE By Abby Mosley Life and Arts Contributor

Large, polychromatic images remain in canyon shelters along the Pecos and Rio Grande rivers. Ranging in earthy black, red, orange, yellow and white colors, these murals depict anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures that are difficult to understand.

Researchers outlined the discovery of the murals, called “Pecos River style paintings,” in the scientific archeology journal “Science Advances.” Even after the journal’s publication last November, research into these paintings continues to yield new insights into the structure, cultures and belief systems of early Mesoamerican cultures.

Carolyn Boyd, Shumla Endowed Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas State, Phil Dering, associated faculty in the Department of Anthropology and Karen Steelman, science director at Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, are key members of the research team who discovered and are currently analyzing the rock murals created by Indigenous groups in West Texas.

“We found that the Pecos River stone murals ... date back as far as around 5,500 years ago and up to around 1,500 years ago,” Boyd said. “But more excitingly, these murals remained in continuous production for more than 4,000 years. They just continue to be produced throughout that entire time period.”

Although “Science Advances” published Boyd and Dering’s findings, the team said research is far from complete. They hope to discover more about the cultures of Mesoamerican cultures that came before people in the current era.

“We are continuing microscopic analysis to study the paint stratigraphy at different murals within the region,” Boyd said. “We’re also analyzing the compositional layout of the murals to better understand how they were designed.”

As part of that effort, the team is collaborating with a fine art painter to examine artistic techniques and design principles used by the original artists. They are also working closely with Indigenous elders to gain cultural insight into the imagery and its meaning.

The research team asked Ashley Busby, a fine art painter, to collaborate on the project. She helps researchers interpret the murals through a contemporary artistic lens.

“It’s a lot of zooming in and zooming out images,” Busby said. “I am looking at the specific elements, the composition, the brushwork.”

“[TXST Metals] wanted to do an exhibition in tandem with [Penn],” DesChamps-Benke said. “The people in this exhibition here have either all taught at one time for Texas State, are currently teaching or are alumni from that program.”

“Foregrounding Paradise”

“Foregrounding Paradise” celebrates 30 years of Penn and her time as a foundational figure of contemporary metalsmithing. Her displayed work portrays her continuous inquiry regarding the tensions between the natural world and culture, existing in a space between idealizing and modifying the natural environment.

Penn said she started as a painter but felt it was not as inspiring as the challenge of working with metal. To her, metal has a lot of inherent character, making it equal to the artist. She said metal has technical challenges, forcing an artist to think with both sides of their brain to plan steps.

“It’s not just an expression,” Penn said. “You have tools that intervene always between you and the material, and understanding what those tools do and how they work best makes it a much richer experience in terms of creating. It’s always fascinating.”

Smaller, mainly bronze works accompany the large installation, representing Penn’s different art series. These either serve to critique the human impulse of demanding order upon the natural world, record the multiple patterns of botanical growth, cast the organic plant into a fused mold of metal and nature or reconstruct invasive plants into a sustained form.

“Deeply Routed”

Organized by DesChamps-Benke and Associate Professor of Instruction Laritza Janiga, “Deeply Routed” showcases the materials and techniques used to create unique accessories, sculptures and wall decorations.

DesChamps-Benke’s pieces are cameo silhouettes inspired by cameo jewelry, relief carvings of people, places, animals or plants. To create some of them, such as “Self-Reflection” and “Ruth Bader Ginsburg: In Concurrence,” she handforms the wide metal wires by soldering individual pieces from a printed photo or drawing used as a redrawn template.

“People want [personal portraits] because it’s important to them they’re feeling the same way I do: Embrace who you are and live in the moment,”

Busby focuses her paintings on nature. She views the murals not just as paintings on the wall but a channel to discover more about the cultures that were there before people in the current era.

“It’s art,” Busby said. “It’s important. It’s not just paintings on the wall, but art history and the enduring cultures of people before us.”

Beyond advancing academic knowledge, Boyd and Dering hope the project will inspire Texas State students to pursue archaeology and related fields.

“I think students are excited about prehistoric art,” Dering said. “It draws them into the field. Even if they don’t end up studying the art itself, they realize they can learn more about people of the past through archaeology.”

Boyd echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the vast potential still

left to explore and the idea that they have barely reached the surface of the mysteries of the people of the past.

Busby said she hopes this work will inspire students to pursue archeology and find passion within.

“I hope students pursue something that they are passionate about,” Busby said. “I wouldn’t be the artist I am if I hadn’t pursued my passion.”

As interest in the murals grows, so does concern over preservation. Boyd, who spent decades studying the sites, said the responsibility to protect the murals has become increasingly urgent due to their invaluable meaning and the breakthrough discoveries that can be made within these murals.

“This has been 30 years of research for me,” Boyd said. “The more we learn, the more aware we become of the incredible value of these murals and the need to preserve and protect them. It’s been heavy on my heart for a very long time. There’s a real sense of urgency.”

Boyd and Dering said they hope continued research and public awareness will lead to greater protection efforts, increased funding and broader support for preservation organizations.

“I think the work we’re doing reshapes how people interpret the murals and the cultures that created them,” Boyd said. “That raises their value — sometimes even in terms of eco-tourism — and helps bring support to the state, federal and nonprofit organizations working to preserve and protect these sites.”

Scan the QR code to view the journal.

LAURA WALKER | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER

Texas State associate professor of instruction Laritza Janiga (right) adjusts ‘Avocado’ by April Wood while Audelis Alanis (left) looks on, during the opening of companion exhibit Deeply Routed: TXST Metals, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Texas State Galleries FL3X. Deeply Routed showcases pieces by current and former Texas State Metals program faculty and will be open until Feb. 8.

DesChamps-Benke said. “The other ones just came along because I was watching how that affected other people, so it was influencing how I was thinking about the portraits.”

Shalena White, metals alumna, created “Geological Alchemy” by finding rocks and remnants and questioning if there is value in what she considered everyday materials. She combined them with various metals to make them elevated and revered, arranging them in a Fibonacci pattern to connect to the botanical world and allude to the passage of time.

“That’s something that’s much faster you can see with plants and their growth, but with the changing of rocks and the way they’re shaped by earth and water, that’s something that takes a lot longer, and we don’t see it,” White said.

Seeing the works of her former students, Penn said the reason she taught at Texas State for so long was because of her love for her students, despite being eligible to retire a decade ago.

“[The students] know how to apply their skillsets to things, they know how to think, they know how to build community with one another because it’s such a big university,” Penn said. “But people find their niche and then build this really collaborative,

supportive environment, especially here because the students are not just taking classes and going home.”

TXST Metals

Penn said she did not start the TXST Metals program but took over after the previous professor retired. Founded in 1994, TXST Metals grew into an internationally recognized program known for its experimental approach to metalsmithing and interdisciplinary teaching under her leadership.

One example Penn gave was how, despite teaching traditional skills, she infused her metalsmithing assignments with a very conceptual approach. This results in distinct work, all made using the same material and method.

“When I first got here 35 years ago ... [students would] make a ring, and all their rings looked the same,” Penn said. “This infusion of assignments with a conceptual entry point allows this method of teaching to be more individual and filled with selfexpression for each student.”

“Foregrounding Paradise” will remain in Galleries 1 and 2 of TXST Galleries of the Joann Cole Mitte building until March 6. “Deeply Routed” will remain in the FL3X Gallery until Feb. 8.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Opinions in The University Star are not necessarily those of our entire publication, Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Student Publications Board.

Degree reclassification harms students

By Mark Gabrielides Opinions Columnist

On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, including significant student loan changes. In November, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) finalized an updated list of professional degrees, bringing alarming changes to affordability.

The DOE reclassified several degrees, including nursing and education, with changes beginning to affect students this year While discourse surrounds the wording of “professional,” the real risks lie in changes to student loan borrowing, affecting affordability for Texas State students.

Removing the professional status means students who wish to pursue these fields will face lower borrowing caps that may create a greater disparity between available aid and the cost of their tuition. While this change is limited to graduate degrees, advanced degrees like nursing require continued education to practice.

For students whose degree is not considered professional borrowing is limited to $20,500 per year, which risks pricing out students or forcing them to borrow from costlier private sources. This not only ignores the needs of students, but the benefits they bring to the workforce after they graduate.

Responding to online backlash, the DOE released a statement in November 2025 that seemed antagonistic rather than offering clarity on the changes.

“Certain progressive voices have been fear mongering about the Department of Education supposedly excluding nursing degrees from being eligible for graduate student loans. This is misinformation. This fact sheet sets the record straight regarding the proposed treatment of nursing programs under new lending limits established by the Act,” the DOE wrote.

Degrees classified as “professional” allow for borrowing of $50,000 annually, over double the

limit for graduate program borrowing.

For nursing and education students who are now affected, this disparity could be the difference between pursuing a master’s degree or not.

Virgil Harris, early childhood education freshman, said the reclassification of majors like his is unproductive and could cause a shortage in degrees that have been reclassified.

“Everyone needs to appreciate everybody,” Harris said, “It’s a slap in the face … We [teachers] want to help children, and then to at last get some sort of recognition from the community ... For that to be taken away, for someone being able to come up to me and tell me what I’m doing is not professional is crazy.”

These changes aren’t just noise; they trickle down to students at Texas State. The St. David’s School of Nursing and College of Education’s graduate programs could see higher barriers to entry starting this year.

Texas State is already experiencing a decrease in graduates from the College of Education’s Master’s program, with 273 graduates in 2024-25, down from 341 in 2023-24 and 362 the year prior, according to degrees awarded by Texas State from Data, Analytics & Institutional Research. With changes to borrowing caps, Texas State could see an even further decline.

Degrees in education and nursing, among other reclassified degrees, provide essential workers in fields necessary for a modern society. The DOE, motivated by short-term “cost savings,” risks pricing out students from these essential degrees.

The government’s stepping in to reclassify degrees to no longer be “professional” is a blow to scholars pursuing advanced degrees. The government should be in the business of providing educational opportunities, not taking them away. These changes can cut deep at Texas State, and prevent students from pursuing their passions.

-Mark Gabrielides is a English and education freshman

Federal agenda threatens students at TXST

By Jolee Gavito Opinions Columnist

A list of policy priorities for 2025-26 has garnered attention for the threat it poses to higher education. If implemented, these changes could upend education at Texas State and across the nation.

These priorities threaten education by calling for the elimination of the Department of Education and the removal of “woke ideas.” These changes risk jeopardizing higher-education even further in Texas, with impacts on financial aid and course content.

The list of policy priorities, titled “Restoring America’s Promise,” was created by the Heritage Foundation, architects of Project 2025, a conservative toolkit that President Donald Trump has tapped into for major policy priorities. According to PBS News, the Trump administration has already implemented nearly half of the policies outlined in Project 2025 that weaken the DOE, such as various funding cuts, making this new set of priorities even more alarming.

In the section on education, titled “Expand Education Freedom,” the Heritage Foundation lays out policy priorities for education.

“The education system is failing our children—from the scourge of woke ideas like critical race theory and radical gender ideology to the lack of academic excellence and

transparency. Parents, not bureaucrats, should be making decisions about their children’s education, aligned with their values. Heritage is focused on loosening Washington’s grip on K-12 and higher education. Heritage will work to safeguard parental authority over their children’s education, expand universal education choice, protect American taxpayers from bailouts of an academia wholly adrift, and reclaim institutions of higher education from the radical Left,” the Heritage Foundation wrote on their website.

While rather short, the list of priorities, if implemented, will irreversibly harm higher-education. The policies expand on educational initiatives found in Project 2025, and closely resemble changes being made at the state level in Texas.

In Texas, university systems, like the Texas State University System (TSUS), audited courses, spurred in part by concerns over ideology in course content. The Heritage Foundation aims to do the same, scrutinizing courses that may be disagreeable.

This harms higher-education, as it limits what can and cannot be taught at institutions, with the risk of removing information on ideological grounds. If left unfettered, this trend can weaken education as controversial, but informative, topics are kept away from students.

Heritage claims to want to expand educational choice, but its policies will do the opposite, giving the choice to state governments on what content is taught in classrooms.

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The University Star welcomes letters from our readers. Letters must be 300 words or fewer to be considered for publication. Writers must include their full name, mailing address, major and academic year designation (for students), phone number and e-mail address when submitting a letter. Submissions that do not include this information cannot be published. This information is seen only by the editors and is used to verify the identify of the letter writer. It is

Beyond potential course changes, the policy priorities also aim to eliminate the DOE, which can have detrimental affects.

“Heritage will spearhead reforms at the state level to expand education choice while working to limit federal intervention in education, with the goal of ultimately eliminating the U.S. Department of Education,” the foundation wrote.

Eliminating the DOE creates uncertainty around where and how financial aid would be obtained, necessary for many in highereducation. Each year, approximately 13 million students benefit from grants, loans and work-study funds dispersed by the DOE.

Without the DOE, it is unclear how students would obtain financial assistance. While Texas State has the Bobcat Online Scholarship System (BOSS) program to award aid to

not used for any commercial purpose.

students, they’re highly competitive and a limited amount are available. For students who rely on FAFSA and grants, there isn’t another option open for them to complete their college journey.

Reducing higher-education down to a list of policy points is dangerous, as it ignores the nuances of higher education that go beyond ideology. Students should be free to apply for courses they want, and be provided with the opportunity to do so via loans. Upending higher-education ultimately does more harm than good.

Students must secure the right to apply for courses they want, without any interferences that aim to dictate that decision. Students create the campus culture, no matter what their financial bracket is.

-Jolee Gavito is a journalism junior

Letters become the property of The Star and may be republished in any format. The letter may be edited for length and clarity. An editor will contact the letter writer if their letter is a candidate for publication. The Star will not run letters that are potentially libelous, discriminatory, obscene, threatening or promotional in nature.

Letters can be submitted to staropinion@txstate.edu or by mail to Attn: Opinion Editor, The University Star, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666.

(Top) (From left to right) Public Relations Senior Austin Doan, Civil Engineering Junior Sam Hill, Construction Science & Management Sophomore Cory Walters and Digital Media Innovation Sophomore Chet Harlow, prepare to jump in the river, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at Sewell Park. Despite the temperature being just above freezing, students still enjoyed the day by jumping in the river.

(Bottom left) Civil Engineering Junior Sam Hill gets out of the river after jumping in, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at Sewell Park. Hill jumped in with a group of his friends after Texas State canceled Monday classes due to weather.

(Bottom right) A snowman sits on the interior sidewalks of Bobcat Village Apartments, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in San Marcos.

SOFTBALL

Breaking down TXST’s marquee schedule

By Adrian Ramirez Sports Editor

Last year, Texas State softball played two top-15 ranked teams in Texas A&M (#5) and Arkansas (#14), along with playing the two teams that competed in the Women’s College World Series Finals in Texas and Texas Tech.

This year, the Bobcats are right back at it with a gauntlet of a schedule outside of conference play in the always competitive Sun Belt. The Bobcats are set to face the #1, #7, #9, #14 and #19 ranked teams in the country based on the Softball America preseason poll.

Here is a breakdown of the ranked opponents on Texas State’s 2026 schedule.

#1 Texas

Texas State is set to go to battle with the defending national champions on Wednesday, March 25, at Bobcat Softball Stadium. Texas leads the all-time series with the Texas State 34-12 and made easy work of the Bobcats last season, winning 10-1 in Austin.

Despite being 1-9 in their last 10 games against the Longhorns, the Bobcats have been far more competitive in recent years against a UT program that is consistently among the favorites to win the national championship year in and year out.

#7 Arkansas

For the second straight year, Texas State will welcome the Arkansas Razorbacks to San Marcos. Last year, the Bobcats opened the season with the Razorbacks, ultimately falling 3-1.

Texas State kept the game competitive all the way through, until the 2025 Softball America Player of the Year, Bri Ellis, hit a towering home run to give Arkansas the advantage that would hold through the end of the game.

Arkansas finished the season 44-14 before eventually falling to Ole Miss in the Super Regionals. They will come to San Marcos looking for a repeat of last year’s tournament sweep.

#9 Clemson

The same weekend the Bobcats welcome Arkansas to town, they will also host the ninthranked Clemson Tigers. Clemson went 48-14 in 2025 before getting eliminated by the eventual national champion Longhorns in the Austin Super Regional.

FROM FRONT REBUILD

In 2024, Texas State garnered national attention as some media outlets and pundits picked the Bobcats to be the Group of Five representative in the college football playoff. While that never came to fruition for Kinne’s squad, the Bobcats played well enough in 2024 to make the expectations for 2025 sky-high.

Going into the 2025 season, Texas State was projected to make the Sun Belt Conference Championship game. However, a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season derailed those hopes for the Bobcats.

Regardless, Kinne said the end of the season was exactly what the Bobcats needed to maintain momentum heading into the Pac-12, as Texas State finished with a 41-10 victory over Rice in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

“The team’s excited with a lot to work for, I know we have a chip on our shoulder heading into a new conference,” Kinne said.

Texas State formed an identity in 2025 as one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Bobcat offense finished fifth in the country in total offense, racking up 472.8 yards per game and 11th in the country in scoring offense, putting up 36.5 points per game.

Texas State’s prominent offense is primed to return to form in 2026, as it will be returning freshman quarterback Brad Jackson, junior wide receivers Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. and sophomore running back Greg Burrell.

“Its been such a blessing to be able to have [Sparks and Dawn Jr.] and then ultimately being able to bring them back [next season],” Jackson said. “Those guys are awesome and they just come to work each and every day.”

Jackson accounted for 3,968 total yards individually, a mark good enough to land him at seventh overall in the country. To go along with Jackson’s massive season, Sparks and Dawn Jr. both tallied over 1,000

The upcoming 2026 matchup will be the firstever between Texas State and Clemson.

#14 Texas A&M

Texas State will face off with Texas A&M Saturday, March 7, in San Marcos as part of the San Marcos Showdown. The Aggies hold a 23-4 overall record against the Bobcats and have ended Texas State’s season twice in the last three years.

Texas A&M is coming off a 48-11 season, where they made the SEC tournament championship but lost in their own regional, ending their season earlier than expected.

#19 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is set to come to San Marcos on Thursday, Feb. 19 and will be the Bobcats’ opening game of the River State Classic. Texas State and OSU have met six times and share an even 3-3 record against each other, with TXST winning the last meeting 4-0 in 2016.

OSU went 35-20 last year before being eliminated by Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional.

Home games galore

Along with the Bobcats’ marquee matchups, one of the major standouts when peering over the schedule is the number of home games Texas State will play.

After beginning the season on the road in Tempe, Ariz., Texas State will return home Valentine’s Day weekend to begin a stretch of 24 straight home games before hitting the road again a month later on March 17.

In total, Texas State will play 36 home games and 21 games on the road. With a schedule as tough as the Bobcats will be facing, the importance of a home-field advantage is hard to overstate.

Texas State will kick off its season against Toledo at the Kajikawa Classic at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The Bobcats’ home opener is set for 5 p.m. Feb. 12, 2026, against the Clemson Tigers. The game against Clemson will be streaming on ESPN+.

receiving yards, a number good enough to land both inside the top-25 receivers in the country.

On the flip side, the Texas State defense wasn’t as effective as the offense, finishing 78th in the nation in total defense, allowing 382.9 yards per game. The Bobcat defense also finished 94th in scoring defense, allowing 29 points per game.

Despite the middle-of-the-pack numbers, where the defense finished was a far cry from its lowest point, as it was statistically one of the bottom 25 units in college football during the five-game losing streak.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, Texas State decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Dexter McCoil Sr., thus beginning the search for a new DC.

The search culminated in the hire of South Alabama’s defensive coordinator, Will Windham. Windham’s defense finished fourth in total defense, passing yards and first

down defense in the Sun Belt in 2025.

“It was a person, a scheme and a fit that I was really looking for,” Kinne said. “[Windham] checked all the boxes … I think he’s a home run hire for us.”

On paper, Texas State looks primed to compete immediately in the Pac-12, but a new conference will bring a new set of challenges.

Texas State must contend with teams it has very little experience against and will have to overcome the challenges posed by a West Coast schedule, such as a large amount of travel to and from.

The next time the Bobcats take the field, they will be sporting a Pac-12 patch on their jerseys against the University of Texas at Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, ushering in a new era of Texas State football.