By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
With a potent offense, Los Fresnos finished atop District 32-6A and advanced to the regional quarterfinals this season.
The Falcons scored nearly six runs per game and used that production to win 27 games, including an 11-3 mark in district play.
Leading the way for Los Fresnos was senior outfielder George Villafranca, a four-year starter who came through in the clutch often, at times defensively, but especially at the plate. That included a dramatic two-run home run with two strikes and two outs in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in a 5-4 win in Game 1 of a regional quarterfinal series against Edinburg Vela. The Falcons would ultimately come up short in Game 3 and lose the series 2-1, but Villafranca showed when the pressure was on, he found a way to shine.
For his productive senior season, Villafranca has been named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Baseball Offensive Player of the Year.
“ It feels great. I’d like to thank God, without Him I couldn’t do anything,” Villafranca said. “I thank my coaches … it’s been a lot of work to get to this point. I’ve done a lot of things, but I’m humbled by things (like this). Getting this honor means the world to me.”
Among Villafranca’s 28 hits in 99 at-bats, he had nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs, 36 RBIs and scored 20 runs and drew 13 walks on the season and once again earned first-team, all-district honors.
What he and his talented senior class left behind was a legacy that won 86 games, a pair of district titles and had three playoff berths in four seasons.
“ (Villafranca) plays with a lot of confidence out there,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “He’s one of those kids that wants to be on the field. He’s a quiet leader and does the little things right for us. The senior class was great and he was one of the reasons why.
“ This season was because of the seniors leading the way and the underclassmen following their lead.”
With the bar continuingly being raised for the Falcons program, Villafranca hopes his younger teammates can continue what they’ve accomplished during the last four years.
“ It’s a winning legacy,” he said. “I hope they take from us that we’re always hungry and always wanted to win. Every single practice we were striving to get better to win every single game.”
Morales agreed. He too hopes the young Los Fresnos players will strive to reach for new heights.
“ They set the tone for next year,” he said of the senior class. “They challenged the younger class to see if they can go even further. Every year the senior class sets the tone for the next senior class. The kids coming back are hungry and they want to get to the fourth round … they want to get the program even bigger and better.
“ It’s always hard to replace the seniors when you lose them, but the young kids are going to have to step up and be the leaders next year. I’m going to miss them. I love these seniors to death.”
But Villafranca and the rest of the seniors took away just as much from their coach.
“ He’s taught me a lot about life,” Villafranca said. “To take everything in a positive matter. He’s a passionate coach and if you don’t do something with passion, you shouldn’t be doing it at all.
“ I take that from him and I thank him for everything he’s done.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.