HOUSTON – Texas State traveled to Houston to play the team's fifth game in just six days to start the season. While the Bobcats fell, 8-4, to Rice, freshman Jonathan Ortega stood out in a big way. The freshman from Victoria, Texas, 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
The Bobcats tallied eight hits and started fast against Rice, a team receiving votes in national polls and is ranked even as high as No. 23 in some. Freshman lefty Brandon Lewis started for the Bobcats and turned in a solid outing, going four innings and sitting down with just two runs allowed on three hits and four strikeouts.