Seniors were not allowed to finish the school year like they had in mind as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. But Hidalgo’s Juan Miguel (Mike) Vela is one of the few seniors in the Valley whose playing career will not come to an end as a result of COVID-19.
That’s because Vela will attend Jarvis Christian College, where he will play baseball.
“I really did not think that I was going to make it,” Vela said. “My parents always encouraged me to keep playing and that some day I was going to make it big. I did not believe them at first, but now I am here and I get to go to college to study and play baseball, which is something that my family has not done.”
“It feels good to be the first in the family to go to college and it feels even better that I am also the first in the family that gets to sign,” he added.
Vela started playing baseball when he was 3 years old. That’s when he was playing on a team with 4- and 5-year-olds.
“I was the only young one in the team,” Vela said. “I was just very eager to play.”
He continued to play baseball in traveling teams and stopped in the summer of his freshman and sophomore year to dedicate his focus to the high school baseball team, where he was varsity all four years.
Vela received offensive player of the year his sophomore and junior year for the Hidalgo Pirates’ baseball team, and also received first team all-district honors playing right field in 32-4A. He was also mentioned in the Top 4A Players to watch in 2020 by The Monitor.
Last season, the Hidalgo Pirates made it to the third round of playoffs and lost to La Vernia in a three-game series.
“We were supposed to be a good team this season,” Vela said. “Only two seniors had graduated and they were not starters, so we were returning with a strong team.”
In the beginning of the 2020 season, things were not going as planned for the Hidalgo Pirates.
“We had players from the JV and freshman team playing in the varsity team for tournaments because the rest of the varsity baseball players were in other sports so we were not doing that good. But as soon as we played our first district game, we were back to hustling,” Vela said.
The Hidalgo Pirates played their first district game against Rio Hondo, winning 10-0.
“We were expected to go far this year,” Vela said. “It is such a shame that this (COVID-19) happened. But I am lucky to keep playing the sport I love and I would not have done it without my parents support.”