After reaching the NCAA South Central Regionals in 2024, the West Texas A&M baseball team’s season came to an early end in 2025.
Following two consecutive losses to Lubbock Christian in the Lone Star Conference tournament, the Buffs season was over in early May, giving players an opportunity to enter the transfer portal. Despite a disappointing finish to the season, two members of the team’s pitching staff who are originally from the Amarillo area recently announced their commitments to Division I programs.
Dimmit product Julius Carpio, who recently finished his redshirt junior year at WT, is heading to Lamar University in Beaumont after two seasons in Canyon.
Prior to his time with the Buffs, Carpio played at Amarillo College and and Odessa College.
In high school, the Bobcats’ standout was a well-rounded athlete who excelled in multiple sports while helping Dimmitt to the area round of the playoffs as a senior. After redshirting in 2024, Carpio pitched 41.1 innings and gave up 30 runs while notching 35 strikeouts on the season.
The Buffs’ star notched a 6-1 record on the season and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts over 7.1 innings against Texas A&M-Kingsville, earning a win in his penultimate outing. In early March, Carpio was named the Lone Star Conference’s Pitcher of the Week.
Now, the talented right-hander will join a Cardinals team that went 40-17 in 2025, including a 20-10 record in the Southland Conference.
A few weeks before Carpio announced his commitment to Lamar, former Tascosa pitcher Tai Phetluangsy revealed that he will transfer to Tarleton State.
Phetluangsy spent his first two seasons at Odessa College and Panola College before joining the Buffs for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. This year, the former Rebels’ star pitched 43.2 innings, giving up 29 earned runs and notching 40 strikeouts.
In addition to a 4-4 record this season, Phetluangsy recorded eight saves in his final year with the Buffs. Phetluangsy also helped his team reach the postseason during his senior year at Tascosa.
The Buffs’ standout will now leave the Texas Panhandle and make his way to Stephenville to join a Texans’ squad that finished with a 12-12 record in the Western Athletic Conference this season. Phetluangsy has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining after his stints at two different junior colleges and WT.
Following impressive 2025 campaigns with the Buffs, Carpio and Phetluangsy will each be competing at Division I programs during the 2026 season.