BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — On a Friday night under the lights, many fans say they see the competitive nature of McAllen High sophomore Aaron Nixon.
If he’s on the mound, his focus and intensity are painted across his face, just like his signature eye black. Even in the on-deck circle, his eyes never leave the opposing pitcher as he mentally prepares for his at-bat.
“He loves to compete,” McAllen High coach Eliseo Pompa said. “When he gets up on that mound, he has that bulldog mentality. Sometimes, we call a pitch, and he will shake it off. Then, he throws his own pitch, and he was right. But, of course, sometimes he messes it up, too. He’s got the mentality of a baseball player.”
Nixon’s .463 batting average is second on the team. He leads the team with 38 hits and he is tied for third with 25 RBIs. On the mound, Nixon has pitched 50 innings with a 0.84 ERA. He has struck out 81, walked 12 and allowed just six earned runs all year.
“When he gets up on the mound, all he is focused on is throwing strikes,” Pompa said. “If you look at his stats, he has very few walks for how hard he throws. He is consistently around the plate.”
Senior catcher Nate Quintanilla said Nixon’s velocity has gone up and his movement has gotten better this year.
Nixon has been a major force this season for the Bulldogs, who have had a dominant year, losing only one game and sweeping through District 30-6A to earn the district crown. The Bulldogs’ postseason begins at 7:30 tonight as they host Laredo United in the first game of a best-of-three bi-district playoff series.
“It’s a special feeling in the air,” Nixon said. “We have really come together as a team, and we are really fired up. We have been waiting for this all year.”
Given how seriously Nixon takes baseball, fans may find it easy to forget what they are watching.
“I think, at times, we maybe expect too much from him,” Pompa said. “He’s got all this hype, but he’s just a kid. He’s a sophomore. Some people, when he goes up to hit, they expect a home run every time.”
Thankfully for Nixon, he has clubhouse full of teammates who help with the seriousness of the situation.
The Bulldogs hardly ever lack focus on the diamond. But off the field, their success has given them the freedom to have more fun.
“(Quintanilla) and Abanny (Garcia, a senior) are always looking for what joke to say,” Pompa said. “Elijah (West) and Hector (Garcia), those two guys never shut up. It’s funny, and it keeps the mood up. We don’t ever get bored.”
“All the jokes Hector Garcia makes are just hilarious,” West said. “He’s always making faces, and his hair is hilarious.”
Most of the Bulldogs have dyed their hair blonde as a show of solidarity. Garcia has long, curly hair, and the dye job created a new look entirely.
“I was one of the first ones to dye my hair. Robbie (Maldonado) and Dave (Sosa) haven’t, but they have prom,” Nixon said with a grin. “I’m going to another prom, but I just did it anyways, because who cares?”
The lighthearted atmosphere keeps the morale high and allows the team to power through any would-be lulls.
Abanny Garcia and Quintaniila are both seniors, and their playful demeanor allowed the younger players — like Hector Garcia and West, both sophomores — to be themselves.
Nixon is the bridge that brings the team together.
Nixon has spent years playing with just about everyone on the team. If he didn’t play with them growing up, he played against them.
Freshman Chris Bernal grew up in Corpus Christi and moved to McAllen when he was 8.
“I have known him for even longer, because I used to play against him when I lived in Corpus,” Bernal said. “That’s how we got to know each other, and so once I got down here and we met up, we have been close ever since.”
Bernal entered his freshman year already committed to the University of Pittsburgh, just as Nixon did with his commitment to the University of Texas.
“There were times where I struggled,” Bernal said. “He would tell me to calm down just a bit and relax. He helped a lot.”
Abanny Garcia was a McAllen Rowe player at the start of his high school career, so some McHi players initially didn’t know him as well. But Nixon faced him from the time they were 7 or 8 on. So, by the time they were playing together in purple and gold, they were already close friends.
The Bulldogs know how to get into a competitive zone on the field, and they are already in that zone as they prepare for United.
The homework is done, and the Bulldogs know what they are up against.
United has speed and pitching. The Longhorns swiped 47 bags this year. Each of their top three pitchers (by innings pitched) has an ERA under 3.
United was the team that dealt McHi a surprising bi-district round exit in 2016.
Quintanilla was on the Bulldogs’ 2016 team, and he said he has talked to his teammates about that series.
“We want revenge,” Bernal said. “But we will have to get it one game at a time.”
Some texts have even arrived from Laredo exclaiming the Longhorns’ intention to win the series.
“We know in our hearts that we are one of the best teams in Texas,” Nixon said. “Now we just have to go out there and prove it.”