By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Veterans Memorial shortstop Cristian Holloway earned the respect of district coaches this season and turned heads across the Rio Grande Valley, winning the 32-5A MVP award by unanimous vote.
The junior will collect an additional award in recognition of his successful season as The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Baseball MVP.
“It feels really, really reassuring,” Holloway said. “That I locked down both spots (the District MVP award and All-Metro MVP award) and (teammate Justin Anaya) locked down (the district defensive player of the year award and the same All-Metro award). We couldn’t have done any of this without our team backing us up in the field. Our coaches really help us out throughout the year and keep us on track, so they can enforce standards and help us set goals.”
Whatever goals Holloway may have set individually, he surely exceeded even the boldest of expectations for his season with his play. He is a National Honor Society member and has dedicated several hours to community service, another reason why Chargers coach Albert Rodriguez says younger players in the program look up to the incumbent shortstop and team leader.
Holloway led the District 32-5A champion Chargers with 44 hits, 11 of which were doubles. He was the team leader in home runs, with two, and his 22 RBIs were good for second-best on the team. His .489 batting average, .538 on-base percentage, .700 slugging percentage and 1.238 OPS, all team highs, clearly illustrate his offensive value. But he was the anchor of the infield as well.
Holloway’s interchangeability and cohesiveness with Anaya was one of the keys to Brownsville Veterans’ successful regular season campaign.
“(Anaya and Holloway) set the tone for our younger guys,” Rodriguez said. “They lead the way with a good, hard work ethic, making sure everyone is focused and disciplined during practice.”
Holloway has the opportunity to elevate his game even further in his final season at Brownsville Veterans.
“Cristian, his future is bright,” Rodriguez said. “He’s going to be playing (NCAA Division I), (junior college), wherever he wants to go. His future is bright, and he has the potential to play anywhere he wants to.”
Brownsville Herald 2019 All-Metro Baseball Team:
Pitcher of the Year: Victor Loa, Los Fresnos
Offensive Player of the Year: Jesus DeLeon, Brownsville Lopez
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Anaya, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Newcomer of the Year: Germain Castillo, Los Fresnos
MVP: Cristian Holloway, Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Coach of the Year: Travis Parker, Rivera
First team:
C: Ricky Ibarra, Rivera
1B: Ruben Gallegos, Brownsville Veterans
2B: Marco Castro, Porter
SS: Michael Gomez, Rivera
3B: Isaac Franco, Los Fresnos
LF: Lee Trevino, Los Fresnos
CF: Rafael Capistran, Brownsville Veterans
RF: Alan Eguia, Rivera
P: Alex Salas, Los Fresnos
DH: Ivan Banuelos, Lopez
Second team:
C: Jacob Sandoval, Los Fresnos
1B: Christopher Sauceda, Porter
2B: Anthony Ambriz, Hanna
SS: Aaron Gracia, Porter
3B: John Moody, Pace
LF: Jesus Moya, Lopez
CF: Alex Hernandez, Rivera
RF: Jesus Lozano, Brownsville Veterans
P: Rey Rivera, Rivera
DH: Jorge Gonzalez, Los Fresnos