Monday, March 12
District 31-5A
Laredo Martin 3, Valley View 2
Sharyland Pioneer 4, Mission Veterans 1
Sharyland High 6, Roma 4
Laredo Cigarroa 7, Rio Grande City 0

Tuesday, March 13
District 30-6A
McAllen High at La Joya High, 7 p.m.
La Joya Palmview at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Mission High at McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.
District 31-6A
Edinburg Vela at Edinburg North, 7 p.m.
Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg High, 7 p.m.
PSJA Southwest at PSJA High, 7 p.m.
PSJA North at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.
District 32-6A
Weslaco East at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at San Benito, 6:30 p.m.
Harlingen South at Harlingen High, 6:30 p.m.
District 32-5A
Donna High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans at Mercedes, 7 p.m.
District 32-4A
Hidalgo at Progreso, 7:30 p.m.
Zapata at Grulla, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 14
Non-District
Weslaco High at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.
District 31-5A
Mission Veterans at Laredo Nixon, 2 p.m.
Roma at Valley View, 4:30 p.m.
Sharyland Pioneer at Rio Grande City, 2/6 p.m
Laredo Cigarroa at Sharyland High, 2 p.m.

Thursday, March 15
District 31-6A
PSJA Memorial at Edinburg Economedes, 6 p.m.
District 32-5A
Brownsville Lopez at Donna High, 7 p.m.
Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans, 7 p.m.
Mercedes at Brownsville Pace, 7 p.m.

Friday, March 16
District 30-6A
McAllen Rowe at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Mission High, 7 p.m.
McAllen Memorial at McAllen High, 7 p.m.
District 31-6A
Edinburg North at PSJA Southwest, 7 p.m.
Edinburg High at Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m.
PSJA North at PSJA High, 7 p.m.
District 32-6A
Weslaco High at Weslaco East, 6:30 p.m.
San Benito at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.
Harlingen High at Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m.
District 31-5A
Laredo Martin at Roma, 2 p.m.
Laredo Nixon at Rio Grande City, 6 p.m.
Valley View at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.
Sharyland High at Sharyland Pioneer, 2 p.m.
District 32-4A
Hidalgo at Zapata, 7:30 p.m.
Grulla at Port Isabel, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 17
Non-District
Zapata at Laredo LBJ, noon

VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

PSJA High 11, Brownsville Hanna 8

PSJA High 7, Brownsville Hanna 6

Weslaco High 11, Brownsville Veterans 5

Edinburg Tournament

Edinburg North 5, Corpus Christi Ray 4, 8 innings

Los Fresnos 8, Edinburg High 1

San Antonio Tournament

McAllen High 14, Fort Worth Boswell 1

Falfurrias Tournament

Championship Game

PSJA North 4, Falfurrias 3

Guaranteed Games

Taft 2, Grulla 0

Santa Gertrudis Academy 2, Grulla 0

Grulla 7, Odem 3

Progreso 7, PSJA Southwest 1

All-Tournament Team

Andy Gonzalez, PSJA North; Brandon Gonzalez, PSJA North; Damian Rodriguez, PSJA Northl; Rick Suarez, PSJA North

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela junior Eric Martinez clobbered two home runs on Friday during the ECISD All-American Baseball Tournament.

“They were very exciting to come back after yesterday, where I had a foul ball home run,” Martinez said. “I was trying to bounce back, and it showed with this game.”

“We have been waiting for that guy to come through for us,” Vela coach Jaime Perez said. “Last year, he struggled quite a bit, but I’ll tell you what, we have been working really hard one-on-one in the tunnel, live batting practice, trying to get his hands right and his eyes right. It is starting to pay off a little bit.”

Martinez rededicated himself to the game after struggling gin 2017. He traveled to play in up-state tournaments during the offseason, and he focused on improving his hitting.

“Eric can swing the bat really well,” junior shortstop Ramsey Amador said. “He just hits the ball, and it goes out. He has a lot of power. … This game was perfect for him. Eric had a little bit of trouble swinging the bat and not seeing the pitches well. But I believe that him hitting these two home runs will build a lot of confidence for him.”

On Friday, Martinez was the designated hitter against Corpus Christi Ray, but he is also trying to earn a spot at first base.

“Fortunately, we have three first basemen battling for the starting job,” Perez said. “We are rotating them through tournament play. It is good for us to see them all back to back. We all take turns. We haven’t played the same first baseman two games in a row.”

That competition has become a bit of a theme throughout the Vela clubhouse.

The SaberCats have multiple players competing for time at first, third base, shortstop and catcher.

DROP THE SIGN OR GET IN LINE

Senior Adam Alviso and freshman Jaime Perez Jr., Coach Perez’s son, both have the talent to play catcher for Vela, but only one will get the shot to play at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when the SaberCats start their district season at Edinburg North.

“We have a two-man rotation right now,” the elder Perez said. “We are trying to find out who will be the starter.

“As a head baseball coach, trying to coach your son, it’s really tough, but my assistants do a good job of keeping up on him and critiquing and working with him and stuff like that.”

“It’s good so far, but it is different,” Perez Jr. said. “There are a lot of critics, and you can’t really slack off. You have to work 10 times harder than anybody else, because he’s my father, and people are going to say stuff. So I can’t slack off. I have to go 100 percent every day.”
For now, the elder Perez is coy about the battle: “We will see what happens on Tuesday.”

Coach Perez isn’t the only one having a hard time handicapping the race.

“Both of them are very good catchers,” Amador said. “It’s good that there are two good catchers — it’s a lot of competition. They are both brothers, and whoever works out best will take the spot. But they are both good, and they can both help this team.”

For Vela, the catcher spot has an added significance after last year. R.J. Ochoa held down the position last season, and he was a stalwart defensive catcher. He was also a boon on offense, hitting .437 with 25 RBIs and 12 doubles.

Alviso, the Northeast Texas Community College commit, and Ochoa were very close. They went to the same catching coach, and they worked together during practices.

Alviso has been in the early stages of developing a similar relationship with Perez Jr.

“Lately in practice, it’s just me and him working together,” Alviso said. “I take care of him, and he takes care of me. I teach him a lot of things he doesn’t know. He’s been progressing a lot. He’s really good behind the plate. He comes through. He’s a good player. He’s going to be big when he is a senior, I can promise you that.”

“I learn from him,” Perez Jr. said of Alviso. “I listen to him and respect him. … I still have four more years, so I am really just trying to learn from him and go from there.”

A recent development has allowed for both players to get time behind the dish. Alviso pitched for just the second time in his career during Vela’s game against Ray.

“We ran out of pitchers last week, so coach gave me a shot,” Alviso said of his first start against Corpus Christi Moody. “I ended up taking advantage of it and showing him I can do what I can do, and he gave me another one today.”

Perez Jr. was the backstop for both of Alviso’s starts.

“He knows that my ball won’t hit the dirt as much,” Alviso said. “He has a lot of trust in my movement of the ball. He has a lot of trust in me, because we work together as catchers, so we got to know each other that way first.”

Alviso throws out of a sidearm delivery that he says works better than when started pitching overhand at age 12.

“My coach in the summer, Coach Barrera, he liked the way my ball moved a lot in the sidearm,” Alviso said. “He said I could be dangerous out of that sidearm, so I gave it a shot. I had a lot of control and a lot of accuracy, so I kept working on it.”

GROWING PAINS

Amador, a UTRGV commit, has had a superlative start to his year. Despite dealing with an injury, he has found ways to produce for the SaberCats.

“He’s been hot at the plate,” Martinez said. “Yesterday, he hit a home run against San Benito. He also had a good shot up the middle for a big base hit.”

Amador had a solid sophomore campaign, but he believed he could achieve more, so as soon as the season was over, he set out to up his game.

“I put in tons of work. I played a lot of summer ball,” Amador said. “I was focused on my mechanics. I had a lot of trouble with my mechanics last year. My ball was running away from me.”

Amador said he rarely had a day off this summer, and if he did, he found a way to work out or get practice in, even if he was in Houston or San Antonio.

He also grew into a big frame that shows a lot of potential. Amador is 6-foot-4 and about 205 pounds.

“He looks good right now,” Perez said. “He is doing well.”

Amador said he is feeling healthy after an arm injury hampered him earlier this year.

“Ramsey has gotten better,” Martinez said. “He is more consistent in his hitting. He has become more fluid in his throwing and fielding. He’s grown from last year.”

Amador and the rest of the SaberCats are excited about their hot start to the season, but they know the hard part is still to come.

“I trust my teammates,” Amador said. “They are all good hitters. They put the ball in play, giving me the chance to come up with runners on.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, March 9

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna 7, PSJA High 2

Weslaco High 6, Brownsville Veterans 3

Brownsville Rivera 19, Mercedes 5

Saturday, March 10

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna at PSJA High, 1 p.m. (DH)

Weslaco High at Brownsville Veterans, noon

Tournament schedules

San Antonio Tournament

Friday’s Games

McAllen High 6, Eagle Pass 4

McAllen High 7, San Antonio Madison 5

Falfurrias Tournament

Friday’s Games

PSJA North 5, Taft 1

PSJA Southwest 10, La Feria 0

Saturday’s Game

Championship Game

PSJA North vs. Falfurrias-George West winner, 6 p.m.

ECISD All-American Baseball Tournament

Pool Play

Friday’s Games

At Edinburg High

McAllen Memorial 4, Mission High 4

San Antonio Central Catholic 3, Valley View 2

Edinburg High 1, San Antonio Central Catholic 1

Mission High 12, Weslaco East 3

McAllen Memorial 10, Edinburg High 0

Valley View 10, Weslaco East 5

At Edinburg North

Los Fresnos 5, Mission Veterans 3

Edinburg North 12, Donna High 3

McAllen Rowe 16, Sharyland Pioneer 7

McAllen Rowe 6, Los Fresnos 2

Sharyland Pioneer 9, Donna High 1

Edinburg North 9, Mission Veterans 3

At Edinburg Economedes

Harlingen South 11, Edcouch-Elsa 2

Rio Grande City 5, La Joya High 4

Harlingen South 13, Edinburg Economedes 0

Joya Palmview 1, Edcouch-Elsa 1

La Joya High 15, Edinburg Economedes 3

La Joya Palmview 0, Rio Grande City 0, forfeit

At Edinburg Vela

Corpus Christi Ray 11, Roma 1

Sharyland High 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0

Edinburg Vela 12, Corpus Christi Ray 3

Roma 7, San Benito 7

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 8, San Benito 1

Sharyland High 5, Edinburg Vela 3

VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, March 9

Non-District

PSJA High at Brownsville Hanna, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 10

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna at PSJA High, 1 p.m. (DH)

Weslaco High at Brownsville Veterans, noon

Tournament schedules

San Antonio Tournament

Thursday’s Games

New Braunfels Canyon 1, McAllen High 1

McAllen High 6, Corpus Christi Moody 1

Falfurrias Tournament

Thursday’s Games

PSJA North 4, Odem 0

PSJA North 7, Progreso 1

ECISD All-American Baseball Tournament

Pool Play

Thursday’s Games

At Edinburg High

Valley View 8, Mission High 7

McAllen Memorial 5, Weslaco East 3

San Antonio Central Catholic 8, Mission High 4

Edinburg High 5, Valley View 5

San Antonio Central Catholic 4, McAllen Memorial 3

Edinburg High 10, Weslaco East 6

At Edinburg North

McAllen Rowe 11, Mission Veterans 1

Sharyland Pioneer 11, Los Fresnos 0

Edinburg North 13, McAllen Rowe 8

Donna High 10, Mission Veterans 8

Los Fresnos 12, Donna High 0

Sharyland Pioneer 4, Edinburg North 4

At Edinburg Economedes

La Joya High 9, Edcouch-Elsa 3

La Joya Palmview 7, Harlingen South 5

Rio Grande City 7, Edinburg Economedes 2

La Joya High 14, Harlingen South 2

Rio Grande City 4, Edcouch-Elsa 0

Edinburg Economedes 7, La Joya Palmview 2

At Edinburg Vela

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 6, Roma 4

Sharyland High 7, Corpus Christi Ray 5

Corpus Christi Ray 10, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5

Sharyland High 12, San Bentio 1

Edinburg Vela 4, Roma 1

Edinburg Vela 8, San Benito 3

Friday’s Games

At Edinburg High

McAllen Memorial vs. Mission High, 9 a.m.

San Antonio Central Catholic vs. Valley View, 11:30 a.m.

Edinburg High vs. San Antonio Central Catholic, 2 p.m.

Weslaco East vs. Mission High, 4:30 p.m.

Edinburg High vs. McAllen Memorial, 7 p.m.

Valley View vs. Weslaco East, 9:30 p.m.

At Edinburg North

Mission Veterans vs. Los Fresnos, 9 a.m.

Donna High vs. Edinburg North, 11:30 a.m.

Sharyland Pioneer vs. McAllen Rowe, 2 p.m.

Los Fresnos vs. McAllen Rowe, 4:30 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Donna High, 7 p.m.

Edinburg North vs. Mission Veterans, 9:30 p.m

At Edinburg Economedes

Edcouch-Elsa vs. Harlingen South, 9:30 a.m.

La Joya High vs. Rio Grande City, 11:30 a.m.

Edinburg Economedes vs. Harlingen South, 2 p.m.

La Joya Palmview vs. Edcouch-Elsa, 4:30 p.m.

Rio Grande City vs. La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

La Joya High vs. Edinburg Economedes, 9:30 p.m.

At Edinburg Vela

Corpus Christi Ray vs. Roma, 9 a..m

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Sharyland High, 11:30 a.m.

Edinburg Vela vs. Corpus Christi Ray, 2 p.m.

Roma vs. San Benito, 4:30 p.m.

San Benito vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7 p.m.

Edinburg Vela vs. Sharyland High, 9:30 p.m

VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, March 6

Non-District

PSJA High 13, Weslaco High 3, 5 innings

San Benito 21, PSJA Memorial 0

Bishop at McAllen High, not reported

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial 9, La Joya Palmview 1

McAllen Rowe 11, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0

District 31-5A

Shayrland Pioneer 16, Laredo Nixon 3, 5 innings

Rio Grande City 11, Roma 1

Sharyland High 4, Laredo Martin 0

Laredo Cigarroa 6, Mission Veterans 0

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa at Donna North, not reported

Donna High 12, Mercedes 2, 5 innings

Brownsville Veterans 4, Brownsville Pace 3

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, not reported

Zapata 14, La Feria 2

Raymondville 3, Port Isabel 2

Progreso 5, Rio Hondo 0

Wednesday, March 7

District 30-6A

La Joya High at Mission High, 7 p.m.

March 8-10

Edinburg Tournament

La Joya High, La Joya Palmview, McAllen Rowe, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Edinburg North, Edinburg High, Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg Vela, Mission High, Los Fresnos, Sharyland Pioneer, Roma, Sharyland High, Mission Veterans, RGC, Donna High, Edcouch-Elsa

San Antonio Tournament

McAllen High

Falfurrias Tournament

PSJA North, PSJA Southwest, Grulla

Friday, March 9

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 10

Non-District

PSJA High at Brownsville Hanna, 1 p.m. (DH)

Weslaco High at Brownsville Veterans, noon

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — On a cold and blustery evening at PSJA High, Bears junior shortstop Ariben Gutierrez brought the heat needed to fire up the crowd and thaw out the chilly bats.

Gutierrez had a pair of three-run triples that allowed the Bears to bust the non-district tilt against the Weslaco High Panthers wide open. PSJA High went on to secure a 13-3 win in five innings.

In both at-bats, Gutierrez went to the plate with the bases loaded, which gave him an advantage against the pitcher.

“I got in good counts,” Gutierrez said. “They were both bases loaded, so he didn’t have much of a choice on what to throw. I sat on fastballs. My first at-bat, I sat on the curve, got a good shot up the middle, but they caught it. Next two at-bats, I didn’t see a possibility of him throwing a curve, so I stayed back and drove the fastball.”

In the bottom of the third inning, PSJA’s seventh, eighth and ninth hitters in the order each had a single to load the bases. Junior Juan Zambrano popped up to short, clearing the way for Gutierrez. In the fourth, the scenario was almost exactly the same. Junior Cheke Marroquin led off the inning with a single, but this time sophomore designated hitter Pablo Treviño and Zambrano each drew a walk. Zambrano’s forced in the Bears’ fifth run of the game and again set the stage for Gutierrez to rope a shot to the base of the wall.

“It always feels good to get the run support,” sophomore pitcher Justin Morales, who was on the mound Tuesday, said. “Just knowing I can go out there and pound strikes, I’m more relaxed up there on the mound.”

Bears coach Marco Guajardo has been waiting for an explosion like this from his lineup.

“I look at the lineup every time I write it out, and I think to myself, ‘This lineup is dangerous 1 through 9,’” Guajardo said. “I tell them, ‘You guys have no idea how dangerous we can be.’ We hadn’t exploded like this until tonight. They were excited. They are already getting tired of playing all these close games. I know the potential. We just have to get better from here on out.”

Morales started and went all five innings. He struck out eight batters, allowing two hits, four walks and three runs.

“He threw amazing, like he always does,” Gutierrez said. “He should have three wins, but we played tough competition. We got a tie and a one-run loss. Today, we made sure we got him this W.”

“I have a lot of confidence in Justin,” Guajardo said. “Every time he has come out, he has thrown the ball well. As a sophomore, he’s going to be a workhorse for us. He’s going to help Cheke by being that No. 2 guy. That’s what we are expecting out of him.”

Gutierrez has been waiting for Tuesday night for just less than a year. On May 6, the Bears met the Panthers in the bi-district round, and the Bears prevailed 7-3 in the single-elimination game. On that night, Tuesday’s starter, Jon Castillo, was again on the mound, and Gutierrez struggled against him. He struck out twice and popped out to round out an 0 for 3 game against Castillo.

“He got the best of me,” Gutierrez said. “I thought I should have hit better that game. Today, well, I came hungry.”

Gutierrez is one of the smoothest infielders in the Valley. His mechanics are crisp, and his instincts are sharp. This year, he has gotten to reconnect with his double play partner from his younger days, Juan Zambrano. Zambrano, a junior second baseman, and Gutierrez have an unspoken chemistry that has led to many double plays already this year.

“We’ve been close since sixth grade,” Gutierrez said. “This is our second year playing together. We played our freshman year, when he was shortstop and I was at second. Last year, we switched positions, and it has worked out really well. It’s been fun playing with him.”

“It’s the best, playing alongside a great player like him,” Zambrano added. “It’s great to have him at my side. We do great up the middle together. I’m really proud to have him as my shortstop.”

The Bears’ bats have been a tad slow to wake from hibernation this season. But the defense — spearheaded by Gutierrez and Zambrano — and the pitching of Morales and Bears ace Marroquin have steadied the ship. The Bears had a decent run in the Laredo Border Olympics, but their sluggish bats weren’t quite enough against tough out-of-Valley competition.

“We have been playing some really tough teams,” Guajardo said. “Our record is a little deceiving, but I tell the guys, ‘You guys know what you can do. Just go up there and have good quality at-bats, and good things are going to happen.’”

The Bears hope this win builds some momentum for their offense heading into the District 31-6A season, which begins Tuesday.

“The experience we got at those tournaments is going to help us a lot,” Morales said. “King and Carroll and the other teams we played, they are really good teams. It will help us in district.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Monday, March 5

Non-District

PSJA Southwest 5, Santa Rosa 2

Brownsville Hanna 2, Harlingen High 1

Tuesday, March 6

Non-District

Weslaco High at PSJA High, 6:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at San Benito, 6 p.m.

Bishop at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 30-6A

La Joya High at Mission High, 7 p.m.

McAllen Memorial at La Joya Palmview, 7 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Rowe, 7 p.m.

District 31-5A

Shayrland Pioneer at Laredo Nixon, 6 p.m.

Roma at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.

Laredo Martin at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

Laredo Cigarroa at Mission Veterans, 6 p.m.

District 32-5A

Mercedes at Donna High, 7 p.m.

Edcouch-Elsa at Donna North, 7 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Brownsville Veterans, 7 p.m.

District 32-4A

Grulla at Hidalgo, 7:30 p.m.

La Feria at Zapata, 7:30 p.m.

March 8-10

Edinburg Tournament

La Joya High, La Joya Palmview, McAllen Rowe, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Edinburg North, Edinburg High, Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg Vela, Mission High, Los Fresnos, Sharyland Pioneer, Roma, Sharyland High, Mission Veterans, RGC, Donna High, Edcouch-Elsa

San Antonio Tournament

McAllen High

Falfurrias Tournament

PSJA North, PSJA Southwest, Grulla

Friday, March 9

Non-District

Brownsville Hanna at PSJA High, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans at Weslaco High, 6:30 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Mercedes, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 10

Non-District

PSJA High at Brownsville Hanna, 1 p.m. (DH)

Weslaco High at Brownsville Veterans, noon

VALLEY HS BASEBALL BOX SCORES

Monday’s Game

Non-District

PSJA SOUTHWEST 5, SANTA ROSA 2

Santa Rosa 200 000 0 — 2

PSJA Southwest 310 001 0 — 5

WP: Emilio Duque 7 innings, 9 stikeouts, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (5): Duque 2 for 3, 2 RBIs; Sergio Cerda 1 for 1, 1 RBI.

RECORDS: PSJA Southwest 5-5-1.

SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

ELSA — Edcouch-Elsa senior Derek Valdez had to earn his way into the lineup during his senior season, but quickly made the move pay off by blasting his first career home run to lift the Yellow Jackets to a win on Friday.

The Jackets (5-4) were taking on the Valley View Tigers in both teams’ final pool play game of the Tony Rico Mid-Valley Classic, and the score was knotted at four in the bottom of the third.

Senior shortstop Joseph Gonzalez was on first when Valdez saw a 2-0 inside fastball coming his way. Valdez said he knew the ball was gone the second he hit it, and the mammoth shot traveled far over the wall in left-center field, putting the Jackets up 6-4.

“That was amazing,” Friday’s starting pitcher for E-E, senior Ben Rangel, said. “I knew he had it in him. He’s a really strong guy. He just needs to find his pitch, and he found it today. That ball went flying.”

A half-inning later, the game was stopped due to the tournament time limit, and Edcouch-Elsa picked up its fourth win in a row. The Jackets finished the tournament in second place after dropping the championship game 14-5 to host Weslaco High.

Like many of the Jackets, Rangel and Valdez grew up playing baseball together. Much of the team first began playing together at the T-ball level.

“My parents said right when I started playing, I loved the sport,” Valdez said. “I honestly don’t remember when I first started, because I was so young, but I kept with this sport. I played football and everything, but baseball was always my sport. I love it so much. I really can’t explain all of the reasons I love this game.”

E-E players up and down the lineup have a strong love for the sport that is born from their younger days playing together. That love has been harnessed by skipper Ryan Garza, who has increased the excitement around the program since taking over on Sept. 21, 2016.

“He’s a great coach. He has the right fundamentals,” Valdez said. “Honestly, without him, I don’t even know — this wouldn’t be possible. He coaches us very well, and he has given us the right fundamentals and strategies to perform during the games, and it shows.”

During Garza’s first year, the Jackets went 17-10 overall and 13-1 in District 32-5A, netting them a district title. After beating Roma in the bi-district round, E-E ended its season with a loss against Corpus Christi Ray in the area round.

The Jackets graduated seven players from that team, but they have seven seniors this year, and the team is starting to hits its stride ahead of its first district game at 7 p.m. tonight at Donna North.

“We have been showing a lot of fight recently,” Garza said. “I’m loving it. The older guys are showing the younger guys the way we play Jacket baseball. This is a resilient group, just like last year. They are going to be fighting every single game. They are showing a lot of heart right now.”

Against Valley View, Valdez smoothed everything over at the end, but the fight Garza spoke of was on full display to start the game.

Rangel got into a tough spot in the second and surrendered four runs. But his teammates said they trusted him, and when he went back out for the third, he knew he had to battle back.

“What was on my mind as I headed back out there was helping my team,” Rangel said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about my team, and I wanted that win for my team. … Coach always tells me to pick myself up and be strong out there, and that is what I did. ”

“Ben is tough-minded,” Garza said. “When he gets on the mound, he is not worried about anybody else. He has tunnel vision for him and (junior catcher) Jared Ruiz. He shows a lot of heart and toughness up there. He never hung his head … He came back into the dugout and went straight back out there. He is showing a lot of toughness, and we love it. We are going to end up using him a lot, later on throughout the year.”

Players like Rangel and Valdez would be a major commodity for other teams, but the Jackets have players with the same mindset at all nine spots on the field.

Another such player is Gonzalez, who was on first for Valdez’s homer.

“We are good friends. We were very excited,” Valdez said. “Ever since little league, we have always supported each other on the field.”

As Gonzalez rounded first, he turned to shout his excitement toward Valdez. The two continued to celebrate the momentous occasion all the way around to home plate, where the rest of the Yellow Jackets met to greet Valdez.

“That was great — put us up by two,” Garza said. “He came out there with a 2-0 count and just sat on it, waited on a fastball. He got what he wanted, and he put it over the wall in left field.”

Valdez has played second base for much of his high school career. Last year, Garza experimented with using him at the designated hitter spot. Garza could tell the move was going to work for Valdez, so this year Valdez got the opportunity to claim that spot full time.

“This year, he has earned that role,” Garza said. “He’s been on a tear so far. From the scrimmages all the way to the Laredo Border Olympics and now into the Tony Rico, he’s been just clubbing the ball. We have kept him at the DH spot, so he just focuses on the plate. We wanted to take that pressure off of him, to help him focus.”

Valdez said he loves the game of baseball, and that love has never wavered. Now, in his senior year, he finally gets to put on his uniform every Tuesday and Friday knowing his name will be on the lineup card.

“It means a lot to me,” Valdez said. “I have to show it, I have to prove it, and I have to perform like I did today. I hope I can do it every other day.”

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VALLEY HS BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Tony Rico Mid-Valley Classic

Brakcet Play

Semifinals

At Weslaco High

Weslaco High 10, Brownsville Porter 3

Edcouch-Elsa 3, Weslaco East 2

Third-Place Game

At Weslaco East

Weslaco East 8, Brownsville Porter 5

Championship Game

At Weslaco High

Weslaco High 14, Edcouch-Elsa 5

Guaranteed Games

Donna North 3, Edinburg Economedes 2

Valley View 22, Laredo LBJ 3

Mira’s Classic

At Corpus Christi

Edinburg Vela 4, Corpus Christi Moody 1

Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic

Championship Game

At Sharyland High

Sharyland Pioneer 16, Sharyland High 8

Third-Place Game

At Sharyland Pioneer

Edinburg High 9, Alamo Heights 4

Guaranteed Game

Alice 9, Edinburg North 1

All-Tournament Team

MVP: Johnny Lugo, Sharyland Pioneer.

Evan Maldonado, Sharyland Pioneer; Jacob Rosales, Sharyland Pioneer; Diego Ortiz, Sharyland Pioneer; Pedro Tovias, Sharyland Pioneer; Abraham Alvarez, Sharyland High; Andy Lozano, Sharyland High; Lalo Salinas, Sharyland High; Jorge Salinas, Edinburg High; E.J. Alanis, Edinburg High; Will Curren, Alamo Heights.

Mike Rodriguez Tournament

Bracket Play

At PSJA North

Third-Place Game

PSJA Southwest def. Brownsville Pace

Championship Game

Brownsville Rivera 3, PSJA North 2

At PSJA Southwest

Fifth-Place Game

Brownsville Lopez vs. Progreso, not reported

Consolation Game

Donna High 15, PSJA Memorial 7

La Joya Tournament

La Joya Palmview 12, San Benito 5

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 13, Grulla 2

Brownsville Hanna 9, Laredo United South 5

Championship Game

La Joya High 9, Rio Grande City 7

South San Tournament

At San Antonio

McAllen Rowe 9, San Antonio McCollum 5