DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Few things are a given in the playoffs. But as its best-of-three Class 5A bi-district series against Edcouch-Elsa starts up at home tonight, Sharyland High’s baseball team is pretty much guaranteed this: Mario Vela will steal a base and score a run in each game.

Write it in pen.

According to MaxPreps, the senior shortstop is Class 5A’s state leader in stolen bases and runs scored heading into the playoffs. Vela has stolen 32 of 33 bases and scored 31 runs in 23 games.

How does he do it? Through a lot of attention to detail.

“The first thing is to get on base, by a hit, walk, an error, whatever,” Vela said. “The next thing is how can I steal? That means paying attention to the pitcher’s first movement. His push. That means getting a good jump and be quick. Just be quick.”

It’s a process, and one that starts with a simple premise. Get on base.

Vela, the Rattlers’ lead-off hitter, has a .584 on-base percentage. No. 2 hitter Lance Madden is at .494, and No. 3 hitter David Becerra, also 5A’s state leader in RBIs with 36, is at .402.

“One of the things I always tell these guys is you can’t steal first base,” Rattlers coach Junior Martinez said. “You’ve got to get on. As a team, we have 75 stolen bases, but we’ve got guys who get on base. That means being patient and it means situational hitting.

“Get guys on and move them over any way we can.”

Once they get on, the Rattlers are lethal. Aside from Vela, Madden has 18 stolen bases and Becerra and Jorge Maldonado have eight apiece.

“Speed kills, and it does in this lineup,” Martinez said. “It’s a luxury to have this much speed. You put this much pressure on any team … they can’t pitch around guys. The stolen bases, the RBIs … you don’t get those if you don’t have guys who, one, get on base, and, two, do something with it once they get the opportunity.”

Stealing a base means the player at-bat has to be patient. That means falling into a hole early to take pitches.

It’s not an ideal situation for a hitter, but it gives the pitcher more to think about while letting the teammate on base evaluate a potential base-stealing situation.

“Sometimes Lance is already in the hole (0-1 or 1-2 count) because he’s taking pitches,” Vela said. “That’s tough, and it’s unselfish. But he knows he’s fast, and even if he hits a low ground ball, he will still get on base with his speed.”

The Rattlers enter these playoffs at 19-4, co-district 31-5A champions. There is a different feeling around the ballclub in Martinez’s second year at the helm.

Since the first games of the season, there’s been a stronger focus and even a sense of urgency. A hunger to get this program deeper into the playoffs like it’s accustomed to.

“I don’t look at the stats,” Vela said. “I just want to be the best, and I want my team to be the best. If we do the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.

“We’re a very united team right now.”

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Bi-district high school baseball playoff schedule for the Rio Grande Valley:

Thursday, May 7

Class 6A bi-district

McAllen Rowe vs. Laredo Alexander, 8 p.m., at Alice High School

Game 1: Edinburg High at San Benito, 7 p.m.

Game 1: Weslaco High at Brownsville Hanna, 7 p.m.

Game 1: McAllen High vs. Laredo United, 7 p.m., at Roma High School

Game 1: Edinburg North at Harlingen South, 7 p.m.

Class 5A bi-district

Roma vs. Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m., at Mission High

Game 1: Mercedes at Mission Veterans Memorial, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 8

Class 6A bi-district

La Joya High vs. Eagle Pass, 8 p.m., at SAC in Laredo

Game 1: Brownsville Veterans Memorial at PSJA North, 7 p.m.

Game 1: Laredo United South at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m., at La Joya ISD Baseball Complex

Game 2: San Benito at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.

Game 2: Brownsville Hanna at Weslaco High, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2: McAllen High vs. Laredo United, 7 p.m., at Roma High School

Game 2: Harlingen South at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.

Class 5A bi-district

Game 1: PSJA High at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.

Game 1: Edcouch-Elsa at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Game 2: Mission Veterans Memorial at Mercedes, 7 p.m.

Class 4A bi-district

Game 1: Hidalgo vs. Orange Grove, at Rio Grande City High, 7 p.m.

Game 1: Port Isabel at Robstown, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 9

Class 6A bi-district

Game 2: PSJA North at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 2 p.m.; Game 3 45 minutes after Game 2 if necessary

Game 2: La Joya Palmview at Laredo United South, 2 p.m., at SAC or Unitrade in Laredo; Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2

Game 3: Edinburg High at San Benito, Noon (If necessary)

Game 3: Weslaco High at Brownsville Hanna, 2 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 3: McAllen High vs. Laredo United, 5 p.m., at Roma High School (if necessary)

Game 3: Edinburg North at Harlingen South, 2 p.m. (if necessary)

Class 5A bi-district

Game 2: Edinburg Vela at PSJA High, 4 p.m.; Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2 if necessary

Game 2: Sharyland High at Edcouch-Elsa, 2 p.m.; Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2 if necessary

Game 3: Mercedes at Mission Veterans Memorial, 2 p.m. (if necessary)

Class 4A bi-district

Game 2: Hidalgo vs. Orange Grove, at Rio Grande City High, 11 a.m.; Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2 if necessary

Game 2: Robstown at Port Isabel, 2 p.m.; Game 3 30 minutes after Game 2 if necessary

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

PALMVIEW — Rick Garcia has coached La Joya Palmview’s baseball program all seven years of its existence. The Lobos have made the playoffs five times and are coming off back-to-back district championships.

But this year’s team provides a different dynamic than past ballclubs.

“We’ve never had a hitting team like this before,” Garcia said. “Never.”

The truth is in the numbers. Generally a pitching-oriented unit, Palmview is hitting .428 with six home runs and a .509 on-base percentage.

The Lobos (16-3-1) have almost as many walks (86) as strikeouts (90). They are averaging 7.8 runs compared to last season’s 6.4.

“If we get down in games, we still have a lot of confidence,” senior outfielder Jose Chapa said. “We know we can get back in it. Compared to last year, we have better chances of scoring.”

The offensive prowess is so diverse that the Lobos’ top hitters bat 5-6-7 in the lineup. There’s Eddie Hinojosa (.519, 20 RBIs, .552 on-base percentage), Chapa (.491, 20 RBIs, .544) and Carlos Puente (.491, 20, .538).

Teams tend to stack their top hitters higher in the lineup. Not Palmview.

“We were trying to put it all together at the start of the year, messing around with the lineup and seeing what we had,” Garcia said. “Finally, after the Weslaco tournament, we decided we’d keep it this way. We saw nine hitters that could put the ball in play.

“A lot of teams have told us how they prepare for the top five batters, but they don’t prepare for the bottom four. Well, that’s the difference.”

Seven seniors dot the roster, and throughout the years they have grown to be disciplined at the plate. Neither Hinojosa, Chapa or Puente claim to be natural hitters. They worked their way toward that.

Take Hinojosa. Garcia harped on his slugger to cut down on strikeouts. Take your time, Garcia said. Get what you want.

Hinojosa listened.

“I’ve learned to stay patient,” Hinojosa said. “I used to be a pull hitter, and I’ve learned to take the outside pitches the other way.

“I’ve become better at keeping my composure, and that really comes with experience.”

Hinojosa is averaging 5.6 plate appearances per strikeout. Last year, that average was 4.7. Garcia and his players talk about having a plan at the plate. Know what pitch to look for.

It’s easier said than done, but this year the Lobos have done it.

“Eddie had to be more focused,” Garcia said. “He’s a great example of a kid who now has a plan and is disciplined at the plate, and you can see it in his numbers.”

Chapa, who hits sixth, was already disciplined. He spent most of last season hurt because of an arm injury. Once he returned to the field, however, his hitting picked up where it left off, partly because of his plan.

“I go up there knowing what pitches I want and where I want to hit them,” Chapa said. “It can be low or high, I want what I want. Only if it’s two strikes will I make an exception.”

Puente said his approach is simple. Seek fastballs. But he, too, credits experience. It’s one thing to be told what to do, he said. It’s another to learn and execute what you’re being told.

“This is a senior club, so mentally we’re a lot more focused,” Puente said. “There’s nothing really we haven’t seen. I think with the experience we have, you see that in everything — the way we hit, the way we pitch, the way we play.”

While Hinojosa, Chapa and Puente are the anchors of the lineup, their success is dependent upon everyone else.

The averages for Palmview’s 1-through-4 hitters read as follows: .455, .469, .434 and .436. Hitters 8-9: .380, .245.

“That’s why we’re so disciplined,” Chapa said. “We know the pitches we can hit. It helps a lot. There’s no pressure on us. One through nine, all of us are key at that plate, and it gives our pitchers a lot of confidence when you have a ballclub that can hit this well.”

Garcia and players agree that the hitting aspect is what could be a surprise to opponents as Palmview starts its Class 6A bi-district playoff series Friday against Laredo United South.

The Lobos have made their name off defense, and that still remains a core component of Garcia’s philosophy (the Lobos have a 1.97 team ERA). But they have a different look.

It’s just one more reason why Palmview is confident it can best last season and go beyond the third round of the playoffs.

“Hitting wins games,” Chapa said. “It’s everybody’s job in this lineup to come through and find a way to get on base. There are no excuses when you have a team that can hit like this.”

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District 30-6A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
xy-*LJ Palmview 16 3 11 1 —
x-La Joya High 14 8 8 4 3
x-McAllen Rowe 13 7 7 5 4
x-McAllen High 16 6 7 5 4
McAllen Memorial 8 12 6 6 5
Mission High 5 16 3 9 8
LJ Juarez-Lincoln 2 19 0 12 11
*Palmview has tied once

District 31-6A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
x-*Edinburg High 17 2 10 1 —
x-*Weslaco High 14 5 9 2 1
x-Edinburg North 14 5 7 4 3
x-PSJA North 8 13 6 5 4
PSJA Memorial 9 14 3 9 7½
*Economedes 7 12 2 9 8
Weslaco East 4 16 2 9 8
*Edinburg North has tied twice
*Edinburg High has tied once
*Economedes has tied once

District 32-6A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
xy-Browns. Vets 19 1 13 1 —
x-Harlingen South 16 5 11 3 2
x-Brnsville Hanna 14 8 10 4 3
x-San Benito 14 7 9 5 4
Los Fresnos 12 12 5 9 8
Brownsville Lopez 11 11 5 9 8
Harlingen High 6 17 2 12 11
Brownsville Rivera 4 16 1 13 12
*Brownsville Vets has tied twice

District 31-5A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
xy-Sharyland High 19 3 10 2 —
xy-Mission Vets 19 6 10 2 —
x-Edinburg Vela 13 8 9 3 1
x-Roma 10 12 6 6 4
Valley View 5 9 4 8 6
Rio Grande City 6 16 2 10 8
Shary Pioneer 4 18 1 11 9
*Valley View tied once

District 32-5A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
x-Bro. Porter 16 5 12 1 —
x-*PSJA High 15 4 11 2 1
x-Edcouch-Elsa 11 10 9 4 3
x-Mercedes 11 10 7 6 5
Brownsville Pace 8 12 5 8 7
Donna High 7 15 4 9 8
Donna North 4 19 2 11 10
*PSJA Southwest 5 17 2 11 10
*PSJA High has tied twice
*PSJA Southwest has tied once

District 32-4A
Overall District
Team W L W L GB
x-Zapata 15 6 12 1 —
x-Hidalgo 17 5 12 1 —
x-La Feria 14 8 8 5 4
x-Port Isabel 13 7 8 5 4
Progreso 7 15 4 9 8
Rio Hondo 11 13 4 9 8
Grulla 5 13 4 9 8
Raymondville 0 16 0 13 12
*Hidalgo has tied once
*La Feria has tied once

x-claimed playoff spot
y-claimed district title

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

McAllen Rowe is in the playoffs thanks to the play of some promising freshmen. But it’s the leadership of four seniors that have allowed the youngsters to grow quickly.

Four-year lettermen Robbie Partida, Armando Mendez and Nick Martinez, and senior ace Eddie Ramirez, have been constants in the Warriors’ lineup for years, and their influence upon freshmen Abbany Garcia and Trey Prado this season has been priceless.

“We have some seniors that are good leaders who brought the young kids along fast,” Rowe coach Angel Perez said. “We threw those young kids into the fire and they got experience fast.”

This is the first time Perez has had two freshmen in his lineup. Because of that, he’s learned to be more patient and curve expectations.

Garcia is 6-0 as a pitcher, keen on pitching around the plate and throwing strikes, and one of the team’s top hitters. Prado has worked his way slowly into the lineup and has made significant progress defensively.

Their improvement, combined with the stable senior core, has kept Rowe afloat in what could have been a trying year.

“We lost some big guys in Ryan Jackson and Justin Guerrero,” Perez said. “But we always expect to make the playoffs. I knew we had a chance. Guys want to continue the tradition and that’s our main goal.”

COMING AROUND

La Joya High began the District 30-6A season 0-3. Coming off a heartbreaking collapse in 2014, when it lost the final three games to fall from second place to out of the playoffs, spirits weren’t exactly high.

And then coach Reuben Farias went to work. Farias moved his catcher into the infield and brought in another backstop. From there, he saw a drastic turnaround.

The Coyotes won eight of their final nine district games and finished in second in district. For good.

“We won an extra inning ballgame against Mission, and we just went from there,” Farias said. “We had been making errors and weren’t throwing strikes. We were always scoring runs, but we were making four or five errors a night.”

Once the Coyotes cut down the errors, they were fine. They always could hit. They have a .426 on-base percentage and strikeout just 4.3 times per game.

It also helps that they have a blossoming star in junior Anibal Leal. On the bump, he’s 3-2 with a 0.90 ERA and 38 strikeouts to 16 walks in 39 innings. At the plate, he’s hitting .484 with 24 RBIs and two homers.

It’s been quite a rebound year for Leal, who missed the last four games of last season with a hand fracture and felt like he let the team down because of it.

“Early on last year, he was putting too much pressure on himself,” Farias said. “He’d tried to carry the team and with four games left he gets hurt. He didn’t finish the season and he felt like he let the team down. But he’s come around in a big way for us.”

The entire team has come around in a big way.

“We’re playing more confident,” Farias said. “The kids are more relaxed. They’re no longer stressing. There’s no more guys trying to do too much.”

BITS AND PIECES

As the playoffs start May 7, here’s a look at some interesting notes from the regular season.

>> After leaving Sharyland High two years ago following a decorated coaching career with the Rattlers, Bart Bickerton has won another district title. Bickerton led Brownsville Porter to the 32-5A championship. It gets better for Bickerton. Three of his former assistants at Sharyland High are in the playoffs as head coaches: Jaime Perez at Edinburg Vela, Casey Smith at Mission Vets Memorial, and Junior Martinez at Sharyland High. All three coached under Bickerton in 2007 and 2008. Smith and Martinez shared the 31-5A title this year, and Perez earned the first playoff bid for Vela baseball in his first year as head coach.

>> It didn’t take long for Xavy Acosta to make his presence known at Edcouch-Elsa. The first-year head coach has the Yellowjackets in the playoffs for the first time in six years despite a young, raw roster of talent.

>> Roma is in the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. The Gladiators finished fourth in District 31-5A. The secret to Roma’s success isn’t really a secret, coach Roque Cortinas said. It’s team chemistry. Togetherness and family.

>> Edinburg High is on a streak of 52 innings without allowing an earned run. The Bobcats have six shutouts in District 31-6A play and have clinched a share of the title heading into Friday’s regular season finale.

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RGVSPORTS.COM H.S. BASEBALL TOP 10 POLL

Rank, Team Record Previous
1, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 19-1-2 1

2, Edinburg High 17-2-1 2

3, Sharyland High 19-3 4

4, Brownsville Porter 16-5-2 5

5, La Joya Palmview 16-3-1 3

6, Hidalgo 17-5-1 7

7, Mission Veterans Memorial 19-6 9

8, Weslaco High 14-5 NR

9, Edinburg North 14-5-2 6

10, Harlingen South 16-5 8

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

PALMVIEW — Behind an obscure pitching strategy and some timely clutch hitting, McAllen High nipped La Joya Palmview 5-4 on Tuesday to claim District 30-6A’s fourth and final baseball playoff spot.

McAllen High (16-6, 7-5 30-6A) could have still gotten into the postseason with a defeat and a McAllen Memorial loss at Mission High, but fortunately for the Bulldogs it didn’t have to come down to that.

The Mustangs took care of their own business with a 7-5 win, but ended up one game out of the final four.

“There was a sense of urgency. Huge,” said McHi senior catcher Fred Hover, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a stolen base. “We knew we could still lose and get in, but that’s no way to go about things. You never want your fate in someone else’s hands like that.

“We wanted this one really bad. We scratched and we clawed and we fought.”

It was Palmview’s first loss in 30-6A and just its third of the season. The Lobos (16-3-1, 11-1) had claimed their second straight district title a little more than a week ago and looked ready to run the table, leading McHi 3-0 into the fourth inning.

But the Bulldogs scored five runs on three hits in the fourth, all coming with two outs. Keola Zamora walked with the bases loaded, Hover drilled a two-run double and Justin Gonzalez capped things off with a two-run triple.

It was quite an outburst against sophomore Leo Perez, who had been cruising up to that point.

“We started hunting his fastball,” Hover said. “He was doing a good job mixing in his fastball and off-speed stuff and keeping guys off-balanced. But we battled late in counts, we stayed confident and we just tried hard to make something happen.”

Controversy reared its ugly head in the sixth inning when it looked like Palmview courtesy runner Victor Flores scored from third on a throwing error by the Bulldogs’ centerfielder. But umps ruled that Flores had left the base too early, and he was declared out.

That essentially left meaningless Carlos Puente’s run scored off an error in the seventh to cut Palmview’s deficit to one run.

“McAllen has a great coach and they play tough,” Palmview coach Rick Garcia said. “This is a wake-up call. We need to treat everybody like a playoff team. We were hoping to be the only team in the Valley to be undefeated in district. But McAllen is a good team and they did the job and we didn’t.

“I don’t like to lose going into the playoffs. Hopefully we can regroup. We’re district champs, back to back, been to the playoffs five of seven years. Now let’s see how we respond.”

McAllen High coach Eliseo Pompa used a different pitcher in each inning, starting senior Cody Smith and finishing with sophomore Victor Valdez, who struck out Eleazar Garcia with two on and two out in the seventh to close the Lobos’ hopes for a comeback.

Smith, Kike Rodriguez, Ram Maldonado, Nate Quintanilla, Roy Quintanilla, Rigo Sanchez and Valdez combined to hold the Lobos to four runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out one and walking one.

It was a strategy Pompa had not used in a game, only scrimmages. The plan was to hit spots, throw off-speed and pitch outside, and the Bulldogs’ contingent was successful.

“We figured that if we get in (the playoffs), we’d have kids that had some work,” Pompa said. “We’re going to need pitching, and they got their work in. We told the kids to just play baseball. You never know what might happen.”

The Bulldogs threw everything at the Lobos with their season on the line, and it paid off.

“I told the guys we needed to play relaxed,” Pompa said. “The only pressure we had was the pressure we put on ourselves. Our kids played well and they were calm.

“It was time for us, really. We’ve lost five (district) games, four were by one run. It was time that things went our way.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

After Day 1 of the UIL Class 5A state golf tournament at Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines, Sharyland High’s girls golf team is in striking distance of a state championship.

The Lady Rattlers posted a score of 317 for a second-place standing on Monday, 20 shots behind first-place Humble Kingwood Park. Aledo and Austin Vandegrift are each seven shots behind Sharyland High in third place. Frisco Liberty is in fifth place with a 331 score.

Sharyland High is paced by juniors Ana Jose Erana, the Region IV-5A champion, and Mariana Flores, who each shot a 75, five strokes behind first-place Cheyenne Knight of Aledo and Hanna Alberto of Humble Kingwood Park.

Michelle Moroles shot a 79 as the Lady Rattlers placed three in the top 20.

“The girls played pretty solid, like they have all season,” Sharyland High girls coach Fernando Rodriguez said. “We had a good practice round Sunday and were out on the course from early afternoon to sundown. That was valuable.

“The greens here are fast, and the girls were accustomed to that. They gave themselves a chance by placing the ball well on the greens. We’re right there.”

It is the Sharyland High girls program’s third consecutive trip to state. The program has never won a state title despite six appearances.

The Lady Rattlers’ best finish at state was a third-place standing back when Sharyland High was in Class 4A years ago.

They have a chance to best that mark today and Mother Nature figures to be on their side. A cold front blew in late Monday night and the forecast was 65 degrees today, with 15-20 mile-per-hour winds.

“We love the wind,” Rodriguez said. “That’s how it is at home, and of course the teams up here don’t like the wind. It’s to our advantage.”

Sharyland High’s Christina Shinn-Roldan will start things off for the Lady Rattlers this morning with a 9:30 a.m. tee time.

Sharyland Pioneer junior Carina Hernandez finished with an 86 after Day 1, 16 strokes back of first place. It is Hernandez’s first trip to state.

“I thought it was OK,” Hernandez said. “There were definitely some shots I could’ve improved on, so I’ll just try building off that.”

Hernandez tees off today at 9:20 a.m.

“It’s about not relaxing mentally and not letting up on focus,” she said. “I just had some shots I let up on. It was about accuracy and me needing to get as close to the pin as possible.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — During the week leading up to the Region IV-5A golf tournament earlier this month, Sharyland High junior Ana Jose Erana made a proud proclamation to coach Fernando Rodriguez.

“She told me, ‘I feel good, Coach. I’m going to win,’” Rodriguez recalled.

The boastful claim was not characteristic of the humble player. But it was reflective of the cool calm that envelops the Lady Rattlers’ girls golf team. Erana, indeed, won a two-hole play-off and finished with a two-day score of 143 to win first place, and Sharyland High won second place as a team to earn a third consecutive trip to state next week at Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines.

“She predicted it,” Rodriguez said. “She played her game, she was focused and she pulled it out. She accomplished what she said she would.”

Sharyland High has a business-like approach heading into next week’s tournament. For the Lady Rattlers to play on the sport’s biggest stage is nothing new.

But Erana’s bold statement before regionals is indicative of the team’s mindset. The Lady Rattlers are not just happy to still be playing in late April.

“We just continue to practice and have the same mentality we have all year,” Erana said. “We know how much work it takes to get where we are. We’re not complacent. I think that’s what’s helped us.

“The main thing we’ve taken from these past few years is that we’re just as talented as anyone else. We need to believe in ourselves and we need to have confidence.”

While Erana is the leader of the pack, the Lady Rattlers are tough one through five. At regionals, three other Rattlers finished in the top 20 individually: Michelle Moroles (eighth), and sisters Mariana Flores (16th) and Raquel Flores (20th). Christina Shinn-Roldan barely finished out of that, with a 23rd-place finish.

“The girls have just been consistent,” said Rodriguez, coaching his fourth golf team and fifth individual to a state meet. “But at regionals, Raquel came through for us with a 78 on the second day. That’s big for a freshman.

“It’s just been a team effort, and to see all the girls step up and perform was huge. That’s what’s going to be needed at state.”

Rodriguez is in his first year as coach of the Sharyland High girls team. He coached the boys the last three years, but girls coach Susan Lopez left to head the Sharyland Pioneer golf program prior to this school year.

Attention to detail and team chemistry, Mariana Flores said, have been essential elements of Rodriguez’s coaching.

“He brought us together,” Flores said. “We practice a lot more and he taught us how to play hole by hole. With Coach, it’s about the details and not getting ahead of yourself. It’s about being together.

“We hang out more and we’re as close as we’ve ever been. It’s been something special.”

Rodriguez said he has done nothing more than bring positive energy and a “next hole up” game plan.

“What makes a successful golfer is someone who moves on quickly after doing something wrong,” Mariana Flores said. “You can hurt yourself by getting upset and mad and letting that stay. The golfers who can forget and move on are the ones who go far.”

Erana is a perfect example of the type of player Rodriguez desires. She speaks like a coach, emphasizing “playing the course” and “focusing on my game.” It’s a cliché, but it’s what’s worked.

The process entails learning from mistakes and experience.

“I’ve just improved overall,” Erana said. “My mental game is a lot better, and I’m not the same player I was a year ago. It’s not so much the technique or physical side, it’s the mental side that has really pushed me to another level.”

That focus has Sharyland High looking at next week’s tournament as just the next one on the schedule.

“It’s just another tournament. It’s 18 holes,” Rodriguez said. “And again, you’re playing the course. You don’t focus on other players. You stay positive and try and beat the course. Grind it out.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Carina Hernandez was 6 when she fell in love with golf.

Watching a tournament on TV with her father Ray, who had fallen into a deep slumber, Hernandez was mesmerized by what she saw. The vibrant greens, the calm chill, the intensity. The importance riding on every shot.

“I ended up sitting through the entire tournament and once he woke up, I was excited,” Hernandez said. “I was like, ‘I want to try that!’ And he played in high school, so of course he immediately bought three little clubs and started teaching me.”

The reward, so far, has been grand. The Sharyland Pioneer junior will compete at the UIL Class 5A golf tournament starting Monday at Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines, about 23 miles outside of Austin. Hernandez finished sixth with a two-day score of 150 at last week’s regional meet in San Antonio to earn the second of three individual qualifying spots to state.

Hernandez made the move north from Sharyland High prior to this school year, along with former Sharyland High girls coach Susan Lopez, who now coaches the girls and boys at Pioneer. Hernandez is humble when talking about this year’s goals. Lopez, however, is more direct.

“We wanted a trip to (state). Absolutely,” Lopez said. “Last year, she went as an alternate to state, and I told her, ‘Hey, next year you’re going to be playing the state tournament.’

“Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.”

Under Lopez’s tutelage, as well as coaching from Ray, who played at Mercedes High, and Nick Cantu, Hernandez quickly became the face of Pioneer’s program.

Lopez emphasizes “holistic learning.” Every practice drill is game-specific. At the range, players focus on ball placement and visualize the fairway. When they’re chipping, players are doing “up and down,” simulating greens and getting up and close to the hole.

It makes sense, then, that accuracy has become the strength of Hernandez’s game.

“The accuracy getting to the green was a big thing for me,” she said. “I wanted to be able to be right next to the pin on approach shots instead of having to chip on or have really long putts. I definitely saw that improvement.”

In Hernandez, Lopez has her hardest worker. It’s also the ideal foundational piece on which to establish a program, something Lopez did at Sharyland High and is now doing again.

“I’ve built a program from nothing before, and I figured I’d be the right one to make that move (to Pioneer),” Lopez said. “Carina was a bonus. I have a small group of kids I’m working with, but Carina is a player. I knew she’d be the one I’d invest most of my time in this year, and then we’d continue to build from that as a program.”

Hernandez was a regional qualifier the previous two years under Lopez at Sharyland High. She went with the Lady Rattlers to the state tournament as an alternate last season — Sharyland High’s second of three straight state appearances — and took advantage of the opportunity.

“I was able to observe and be the follower,” Hernandez said. “It helped me take on the role as a leader this year, because I saw how last year’s girls did it. I was able to set the example because I had such good role models.”

Now Hernandez is the role model, ready for the biggest stage of her young career so far.

“I’m just hoping to shoot my best again and come in with two scores that will make my coaches proud and represents my school well,” Hernandez said. “I had the same approach going into regionals. Going to state was just a hope. When I was playing, I was just playing the next shot.

“That has to be my focus.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Progressing from poor to promising was simple, but difficult for Edinburg Vela’s baseball team.

And first-year head coach Jaime Perez has had a front-row seat watching Vela baseball win a combined 18 games the last two years to winning 11 so far this season and contending for a District 31-5A title, earning the first postseason berth in the program’s three-year history.

“Discipline, discipline, discipline,” Perez said. “That’s our key. Practice to perfection, and if we can do that we can play the game really, really well.”

The success of the SaberCats (11-7, 8-2 31-5A) has been predicated upon leadership, approach and demeanor. And it started the first day of school in August.

Perez, an assistant baseball coach the previous two seasons, introduced a football mentality. He leads the defense for varsity coach Michael Salinas’ freshman football team and served as varsity defensive line coach prior to that.

One of his biggest moves was establishing a boot camp like the football team has. It was moderated for baseball orientation, but its goal was the same: test physical limits.

Bungees, lower-half strength building, sled-pushing, pushing tires, weight training. Lots and lots of time in the weight room.

“We started this year different,” senior ace Arnulfo “Arnie” Salinas said. “It was a lot of discipline, but it was also about trust. Trusting the coaches, trusting each other. It’s been worth it.”

Perez changed it all, from the way players dressed, to their approach coming to the athletics period during school, to the way they handled themselves inside and outside the classroom. He mimicked Salinas’ football philosophy. No tolerance, no excuses. Accountability. Responsibility.

It’s no coincidence that three of Perez’s four assistant coaches — Rodney Mayo, Randy Abendroth and Josue Sanchez — are also football coaches.

“In past years, I think we tried to instill (discipline), but I don’t think it was enforced,” Perez said. “What we did is we enforced it. We’re not rah-rah guys. We’re the ‘in your face, get it done this way because there is no other way’ guys.’”

Perez’s style fed into a hungry group of seniors that was tired of losing. They had watched the Vela football and basketball teams rise competitively the last two years. They yearned to do the same.

“Coach made us work for what we got,” senior infielder Jacob Osorio said. “That made us better as people and as players. Coach made it hard for us, but we earned every bit of what we got. We knew we had to fight through it. We had to get tougher.

“We wanted the playoffs. We wanted better than the last two years.”

But teams don’t get as far as Vela has without talent. Salinas is that anchor.

The 5-foot-9 right-hander is 4-2 with a 0.47 ERA, allowing eight unearned runs in 32.1 innings. He has a 3.5 strikeout-walk ratio.

“That competitive nature, you just can’t teach that,” Perez said. “He has that edge. He fell into the No. 1 spot his sophomore year because of that. He gets on the mound and we play different. He makes our team better.”

Salinas was born with an impressive work ethic. He grew up on a farm on the outside of town, where manual labor was common. Perez said no one works harder and that Salinas “lives in the weight room.”

It has shown in his play.

“I was nowhere near where I am right now,” said Salinas, who complements a dangerous fastball with an aggressive slider. “But coaches have been pushing us and it’s just really helped. My location improved. My velocity improved. Those have been big, and I’m still learning and I’m still growing.”

Salinas is one of 11 seniors, whom Perez refers to as the “guard dogs” of the program.

“Every one has a role,” he said. “And every one can appreciate what we’ve gone through. They finally understand the pride of putting on the blue and black.”

Ah, the blue and black. Specifically, it’s more about what it means. Robert Vela High School, named after the successful former Edcouch-Elsa and Edinburg High coach who passed away in 2007 after spending the last 10 years of his 19-year coaching career in Edinburg.

Perez can get emotional talking about the significance of coaching and playing for a school with the name “Vela” across the chest.

“What athletics at this school comes down to is about the competitive nature that the name Robert Vela brings with it,” Perez said.

When he talks about coaching at Vela, Perez talks about being given “a second chance” despite previous head coaching gigs at PSJA Southwest and PSJA North. In a sense, Perez feels reborn, much like the program he leads.

When he took over the reins of the baseball program, he wanted a team that plays bigger, stronger, faster. He has that. Step by step, it’s been built.

“I knew we had it,” Perez said. “I just didn’t think we were pushing the right buttons to make it come out. But we have this year, and the results speak for themselves.”

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