By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Mario Andrade has done a little bit of everything this season for the Pace Vikings.
He’s either on the mound or behind the plate, but sometimes he’s at third base. As a hitter it has been more of the same, as the senior is hitting .457 against District 32-5A opponents.
As a pitcher, Andrade has an ERA below 2.00.
“All-around, defensively, pitcher, hitter,” Pace coach Ruben Aynes said. “He’s definitely a very special kid that we’re fortunate to have. He’s one of those few kids who has all those tools in baseball that you want: fielding, batting, hitting for power, hitting for average and arm strength.”
After falling short as a team to make the postseason last year, Andrade dedicated himself even more to his lone sport.
“The offseason, that’s all I can say,” he said. “I practiced every day on my hitting. I ran to lose some weight to get more agility on the field. I hit off the tee, did soft toss for my mechanics. During the games (this season) I focus on good pitches, try to swing at what I like, not chase anything bad.”
Aynes agreed that his senior captain’s work ethic during the summer has helped bring the team more success.
“He worked tremendously during the offseason,” Aynes said. “He’s dedicated himself to the little extra time we need to make ourselves better.”
With Andrade in the lineup, Pace has been pushing toward a playoff berth. The Vikings haven’t been to the postseason since 2011.
“He’s a spark,” Aynes said. “When he’s hot, we’re hot. When’s he down, we’re not scoring very many runs. He’s a catalyst for our team.”
Andrade also has become more of a leader this season for the Vikings. The senior preferred to lead by example, but the coaches insisted he needed to be more vocal to be more effective.
“We told him, ‘Being a leader doesn’t mean being liked. Sometimes you’re going to have to call out your players,’” Aynes said. “Sometimes you have to go to the players themselves and they might not like it. Since he’s been a more vocal leader for us, we’ve noticed a change in our focus at practice, and in games.”
Andrade enjoys being a leader because of his teammates.
“I like being with these guys,” he said. “But it’s tough because when everyone’s down I have to keep them up, I have to keep them focused to win games.”
Andrade said there is a mutual respect among the team and that he feels they are a stronger unit this season.
“We got older and we got mature, we’re not playing around,” he said. “We’re focusing on the playoffs. We want to get in, that’s the main thing. We all have the same goal. We’ve bonded in every single way, we’re a team now.”
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.