FREDDY GONZALEZ | Valley Morning Star
A total of 19 athletes from across the Rio Grande Valley were recognized on the 2018 Academic All-State baseball team.
Harlingen High, Port Isabel, Los Fresnos, Edinburg High, Edinburg North, Rio Grande City and Edinburg Vela were among the long list of schools with athletes on the squad, which was released by the Texas High School Coaches Association recently.
In Class 4A, Port Isabel’s Tyler Francis was the only player to be named on the annual list. The Tarpons made the postseason, but were unfortunately knocked out in the bi-district round by Robstown.
In Class 6A, Harlingen High had four players make the prestigious list. Boedy Flores and Nathan Ramon, who was the 2018 valedictorian, were both placed on the second team, while Connor Harlan and Matthew Sesler were honorable mentions.
The Cardinals made the playoffs after Brownsville Rivera had to forfeit a few games and the Raiders’ misfortunes became Harlingen’s opportunity. Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ playoff appearance was short-lived as the team went out in the bi-district round to Edinburg Vela.
Another District 32-6A team to land players on the all-state team was Los Fresnos. George Villafranca and Hugo Sanchez made the first team, while Bryn Ramirez made the second and Cristian Hernandez made the honorable mention list.
The Falcons had an impressive postseason run, making it into the third round. They defeated Edinburg North in a bi-district series 2-1 and Mission in an area-round series 2-1 before falling to Edinburg Vela in the regional quarterfinals.
Other notable names to make the list were:
Brandon Morin, Edinburg, honorable mention; Jimmy Burrows, Edinburg North, second team; Joseph Munoz, Edinburg North, second team; Jaime Silva, Edinburg North, second team; Jeremy Gorena, Rio Grande City, honorable mention; Jason Perez, Rio Grande City, ELITE; Mathew De La Cruz, Edinburg Vela, first team; Joel Jasso, Edinburg Vela, first team; Andre Israel Martinez, Edinburg Vela, honorable mention; and Angel Salinas, Edinburg Vela, second team.