The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association released its 2021 All-State and Elite Teams with several Rio Grande Valley standouts earning statewide recognition.
ELITE TEAM
Edinburg Vela’s Jaime Perez Jr. was named to the Class 6A Elite Team, which is made up of the top seniors at every position across the state. The catcher and part-time shortstop Perez posted a .500 batting average with 37 hits in 25 games. He finished with 31 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, 11 doubles and one home run.
McAllen High’s Tristan Cavazos was named to the Class 5A Elite Team Cavazos after hitting .429 for the Bulldogs. He was second on the team with 33 RBIs, while tying for the team-lead in home runs with two. As McHi’s ace, had an 8-3 record with a 1.37 ERA in 19 appearances. He fanned 96 batters while allowing 43 hits, 20 walks and 14 earned runs in 71.1 innings.
Raymondville senior Derick Ramirez earned a spot on the Class 4A Elite Team with an 8-0 record on the mound and a 0.71 ERA in 15 appearances. In 49 innings pitched, Ramirez struck out 85 batters while surrendering just 22 hits, 18 walks and five earned runs.
CLASS 6A
Los Fresnos pitcher Victor Loa was the Valley’s lone representative on the Class 6A all-state team after a strong second half surge which led the Falcons into the regional final.
The left-handed Texas State signee posted a 0.85 ERA while striking out 34 batters in 24.2 innings.
CLASS 5A
Sharyland Pioneer had two juniors earn spots on the Class 5A all-state first team in shortstop Juan Rivera and third baseman Oscar Serna.
Rivera, a UTRGV commit, had 54 stolen bases, 51 runs, 34 RBIs and one home run this season while batting .453. Serna hit .444 with 36 runs and 26 RBIs.
Sharyland High had a pair earn all-state honors with pitcher Kiké Cienfuegos on the second team and outfielder Jose Garcia on the third team.
Cienfuegos, an Alvin signee, posted a 10-1 record with a 0.77 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. Garcia led the Rattlers’ offense with a .416 batting average, 32 RBIs, three home runs and 17 stolen bases.
Rio Grande City placed two on the Class 5A all-state second team with shortstop Marc Perez and catcher Emmanuel Garza.
Perez, a UTRGV signee, hit .417 this season with 22 RBIs and four home runs. He scored 38 runs and stole 24 bases. Garza, a Rice signee, averaged .438 on 32 hits with 26 RBIs and one home run.
La Joya Palmview sophomores Chris Chapa and Esai Puente were named to the all-state third team at second base and catcher, respectively. Chapa recorded a .438 batting average with a team-high 19 RBIs and 12 runs. Puente hit .400 with 17 RBIs and 12 runs scored on 22 hits.
CLASS 4A
Raymondville’s Darren Ramirez was named all-state first team shortstop after hitting .667 and six home runs, both which ranked top in the RGV this season. He scored 22 runs and drew 10 walks with a .733 on-base percentage and 1.333 slugging percentage.