Lone Star Cup Preview
Author: Whitney Ho
After a long preseason, the Southwest division will officially open the 2025-2026 season with the Lone Star Cup in Austin, Texas. This year, the collegiate teams traveling to Austin to participate in Texas Quadball’s home tournament are Texas State, UTSA and Sam Houston State University. Last year, the Bobcats of Texas State won the Lone Star Cup for the first time and this Saturday they will certainly be looking to defend their title. But will UTSA spoil the party? Will Texas take back the crown? How will SHSU match up against these teams? Tune into this year’s southwest opener and find out who comes out on top.
Texas State
Coming off of a regional championship and a nationals semi-final finish, #2 Texas State is hungry and certainly has something to prove. The Bobcats went 3-0 last year at Lone Star, beating UTSA, Baylor and SHSU before claiming the trophy. This year, the team is full of veteran talent such as chasers David Avila, Catherine Hay, Izzy Ramirez and Nate Targonski, beaters Nate McCall, Brandy Gomez and Sam Regardia and seeker/keeper Bao Hoang. The majority of this team is coming off of a stellar MLQ season with the San Antonio Soldados, winning their first ever Benepe Cup and seeing Avila win South Division MVP and Ramirez win Rookie of the Year. Hay and Ramirez joined Avila on the USNT Developmental Academy this past season, and additionally, Avila was named to the practice squad of the USNT for the 2025 World Cup. Other international players include Julie Picasso and Claire Eliaz for Team Mexico and Hoang for Vietnam’s Long Lost Army.
Texas State’s style is the epitome of the Southwest — fast, physical and unrelenting. The team has incredible depth that allows them to push the pace until it’s out of their opponents’ reach. While Texas State has historically been known for their contact, Captain Avila has turned up the heat and implemented fluid ball movement and comfortable dynamics between chasers and beaters, elevating their style and making this team even more of a threat. Texas State’s seeking game is also one of the best in college right now, with Hoang tallying four catches at USQ Nationals in April 2025, the most of any collegiate player at the tournament.
Texas State’s main goal for this weekend will be to win quickly, decisively, and show the Quadball world that they’re coming for the USQ trophy. The Bobcats have lost high intensity chasers Ian Crowe and Theron Ratliff, who were both huge playmakers for their team in the 2024-2025 season. But after a successful recruitment season, new rookie Andy Alexander will look to inherit their legacy and help Texas State start their season off with a bang.
UTSA
After missing out on last year’s D1 Nationals bid due to fundraising issues, UTSA clawed their way back as a program and will hope to come out to this first tournament swinging. Captain and beater Javi Tijerina will return for his fifth collegiate season, supported by veterans Dylan Farrow, Emme Gouveia and Paulina Dominguez. Tijerina, who was also a part of the championship-winning Soldados team, coached the Roadrunners to a regional runner-up in Garland last season and will hold his team to a high standard, especially after the team received votes in Fast Break News’ top 10 collegiate rankings.
UTSA is a program that has risen to the top of the pack in the post-COVID era, winning a D1 national championship in 2023 and making another finals appearance the year after. Their style is physical, punishing and aggressive, pushing to take control of the game early and forcing other teams to keep up with their intensity. The chasers of this team will take every inch of space their opponents give them, and their pace and strength will make fast breaks a dangerous gateway to strong leads.
UTSA will go into this weekend hoping to upset both Texas State and Texas to win the tournament. The loss of Riley Moehlmann, David Rodriguez and Kyle Bryant will certainly be felt as they navigate a rebuild. But the Roadrunners successfully recruited numerous rookies who will be looking to make an impact, including but not limited to Logan Farrow, Evan Ferchuk and Aden De La Rosa. While eyes may be on Texas State and Texas, UTSA will be a dangerous dark horse in Austin this weekend.
Texas
After finishing the 2025 season as collegiate D2 runner-ups, #7 Texas has rebuilt their foundations and are hungry for competition. In 2024, the Longhorns decisively defeated Baylor 195-20 but fell to SHSU twice, placing third overall at their home tournament. However, the team has grown exponentially since the last Lone Star Cup, and at Nationals in Richmond, Va. in April, the team won six straight games before finally falling to a golden goal against the eventual D2 champions, Middlebury. Captained by Peter Mosqueda and Nico Salinas, this team is ready to capitalize on their successes last season and use Lone Star to make a statement.
Stylistically, Texas has a sound defense and meticulous offense, built up from years of excellence and strong leadership. This team’s strongest assets are their chasers, who are quick, strong and not afraid to take risks that reward them with defensive stops and fast breaks. Additionally, Texas is a strong FROP team, with seekers like Grayson Floyd making crucial catches in tight games. Their beaters shouldn’t be overlooked, either, with strong communication keeping them united with their chasers in order to put forward the most efficient offense and defense possible.
The goal for Texas this weekend is clear — beat every team they play and take back the crown for their home tournament. While losing impact players like Ella Jordan and Will Spencer will certainly affect the dynamics of this squad, the gaps in last year’s lines are open for new rookie talent to take over and push the team to a new level as they prepare for this upcoming weekend.
SHSU
A D2 powerhouse last year, #10 SHSU Quadball is ready for the next challenge. The Bearkats placed second at last year’s Lone Star Cup, and at Nationals, they finished 3-2, falling only to Texas and the Blue Jays. Players like the USNTDA’s Andrew Acosta plus veterans Spencer Quintana and Gabi Lopez gained valuable experience over the summer in MLQ for the Houston Legends and will return to SHSU ready to lead their team to success in 2026.
SHSU is known for their physical prowess — making a few passes up top before driving in on hoops and few collegiate players can stop them once they get momentum. When they’re not laying strategic and technical hits, SHSU also thrives in transition, disrupting their opponents’ momentum and changing the tide of the game in the blink of an eye. Acosta and Quintana are the frontrunners of this style, utilizing their speed and awareness to take advantage of opponent mistakes and score on quick breaks.
The Bearkats will go into this weekend hoping to finish better than they did last year — in other words, bringing a trophy back to Huntsville. While they have lost key players and leaders like Conner Mason and Ashton Butler, SHSU has great young talent, and this weekend in Austin the team will be looking for some huge upsets and a strong start to their season.
Schedule
9:00 AM: UTSA vs Texas
10:00 AM: TXST vs SHSU
11:30 AM: UTSA vs SHSU
12:30 PM: TXST vs Texas
2:30 PM: Texas vs SHSU
3:30 PM: TXST vs UTSA
5:00 PM: #1 Seed vs #2 Seed
All games streamed on Youtube: @UTRecSports
Matchups To Watch
Texas State vs UTSA:
A bitter rivalry forged and supported by intense games and a similar playing style. Texas State went 4-0 against UTSA last year, but every game was closer than the last, including golden goal situations at both Diamond Cup and the 2025 Garland National Qualifier. Will the Bobcats get another W, or will the Roadrunners sweep the rug out from underneath this top ranked team?
Texas State vs Texas
The two top seeds in the southwest, both wanting to begin their season with a bang. Last year, Texas State was the champion of this matchup, beating Texas unofficially at Great Value Brand in Waco and officially toppling the Longhorns in Garland to secure a nationals bid. However, at Alamo Cup, Texas managed to upset the Bobcats, fueling them for their D2 run. Who will come out on top at this edition of the Lone Star Cup?
Texas vs SHSU
Last year, the Longhorns and the Bearkats fought pretty evenly all season, with the Bearkats coming out on top for the majority of the matches. However, in crunch time, Texas managed to beat SHSU at Nationals, and the Bearkats will certainly want another shot at toppling this Texas team. Will Texas continue their dominance, or will SHSU turn the tide back into their favor?
SHSU vs UTSA
Both of these teams were locked into a very intense recruitment season, and they will be looking for the chance to show the Quadball world what they’re made of. After UTSA defeated SHSU in Garland, the Bearkats came back and were able to beat the Roadrunners at Alamo Cup 2025. Will SHSU prove that they belong in the top ten, or will UTSA use this opportunity to show the voters that they deserve a ranked spot?
Predicted Champion: Texas State (5-0)
