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UTRGV Football to host first open practice Sept. 9 in Edinburg

Graphic via UTRGV Athletics.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday that the football program will host its first-ever open practice on Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

Fan can enter for free by signing up for a practice pass at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans must show their practice pass to gain entry. Fans are required to follow the clear bag policy which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Fans in attendance will be treated to performances by spirit groups and have the ability to purchase Vaqueros gear as well.

Although this practice is open to the public, practices at the Vaqueros Performance Center will generally be closed to the public. Tryouts are also closed to the public and may only be attended by participants.

High school coaches can set up visits to practice by reaching out to administrative assistant for football Alexis Garcia at [email protected].

Limited Season Tickets Remain Available

UTRGV will practice throughout this academic year while ramping up for its first season of competition in 2025. Fans can reserve season tickets with a $25 deposit at UTRGVTickets.com. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable and will be applied toward season ticket purchases.

UTRGV Athletics is finalizing details regarding ticket prices and will announce prices in September. The plan is to offer a variety of price points with season tickets as low as $99 to ensure there is something for everyone.

UTRGV is hard at work to ensure the Rio Grande Valley community has the best game day experience possible. As a part of that process, it has been determined that capping season ticket deposits at 6,000 will be necessary to accommodate enough seats for season ticket holders, UTRGV students, the marching band, the player pass list, and the visiting team pass list.

Fans have currently placed more than 4,900 season ticket deposits, meaning less than 1,100 season ticket deposits remain available for fans to guarantee their spot for the inaugural season of UTRGV football in 2025.

Season tickets will include games at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium. UTRGV will host one game at Sams Stadium in Brownsville every year. Season ticket holders will have the option to purchase discounted tickets for the Brownsville game during the select-a-seat process.

Season tickets are required to purchase season parking passes and tailgating spots.

Select-A-Seat/Suite

Fans who have placed their deposit(s) for UTRGV football season tickets will have the opportunity to select their seats at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium in the spring of 2025. The number of seats available to select will be based upon the number of deposits placed (i.e.: four deposits = four seats). Fans will be assigned a date and time to make their selection based on their Vaqueros Loyalty Points rank. The UTRGV ticket office will provide fans with a map of every section detailing available rows and seats ahead of their assigned date and time.

For the inaugural 2025 football season, only points accumulated through January 15 will be considered for the select-a-seat process. Loyalty points accumulated after the January 15 deadline will determine priority for future seat selection, seat upgrades, and additional ticket requests/benefits.

Fans interested in a suite will be assigned an earlier date and time, also based on their Vaqueros Loyalty Point rank. Points accumulated through November 15 will be considered for the select-a-suite process. The select-a-suite process will take place in December. Suites will require a 4-year commitment.

Fans will have the ability to renew or upgrade their tickets every season. It is important to renew season tickets before the renewal deadline to keep the same seats. After the renewal deadline, seats may be released and available for purchase.

In the event there is ticket inventory remaining after the completion of the select-a-seat process, those seats will become available to purchase at a later date. However, neither the possibility of availability nor the potential quantity available is guaranteed.

How Vaqueros Loyalty Points Work

Vaqueros Loyalty Points program will ensure that the seat and suite selection processes are fair, equitable, and transparent.

Additionally, Vaqueros Loyalty Points will determine priority when it comes to allocating seat relocation requests, new or additional season ticket requests, premium seating requests, parking, tailgating, neutral site and postseason ticket requests, and other giving benefits for all sports.

Vaqueros Loyalty Points are earned based on donations to UTRGV Athletics and season ticket purchase history dating back to 2017-18. Each giving category is assigned a specific point value which is added to each member’s point total. Point values from each category will be combined to create point totals that will determine rankings, which will be determined quarterly and provided upon request.

Supporters earn one point for every $100 of lifetime giving to athletics, one point for every $100 of giving to athletics in the current year, one point per year of giving to athletics, five points for season ticket(s) purchased per sport per year, and 100 points per $10,000 pledged as a donation. Additionally, supporters can earn one-time points totaling three for every $1,000 of sponsorship spend dating back to 2017-18, 10 points for being a graduate of UTRGV and its legacy institutions (awarded once, not per degree), 10 points for being a lifetime Varsity Club member, 20 points for being a former student-athlete who graduated from UTRGV or its legacy institutions, and 100 points for Silver Buckle Society members (those who have generously gifted at least $1 million to UTRGV).

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information on Vaqueros Loyalty Points, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit GoUTRGV.com/LoyaltyPoints.

Fans with additional questions can contact a member of the UTRGV Athletics staff at (956) 665-4069 or through email at [email protected].

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Cantu joins UTRGV women’s basketball as graduate student coach

UTRGV Athletics announced the hiring of Mission Veterans alumnus Ronnie Cantu as a women’s basketball graduate student coach. Graphic courtesy – UTRGV Athletics.

UTRGV head women’s basketball coach Lane Lord announced on Tuesday that Ronnie Cantu, a former basketball standout at Mission Veterans High School, has joined the program as a graduate student coach.

Cantu will be pursuing a Master of Communications while assisting the women’s basketball program. She’ll work with the guards and posts, shadow each coach to assist with breaking down film for scouting reports and fundamental drills, and help coordinate travel and other aspects of basketball operations. Cantu will help run practices and travel to road games with the team.

“We’re really excited to have Ronnie for many reasons. She’s from the Valley, played college basketball for four years, and to have her back here to help us get engaged in the community is great,” Lord said. “She’ll be with us for two years, which is a blessing. One of the most important things is she has a lot of knowledge with Synergy and a lot of our video-editing systems that she used in college, so now she’s on the other side of it breaking down film and she’ll gain a lot of knowledge working with our staff. We coaches have the greatest job in the world and to be able to pass that knowledge on to the young people is what we’re here for.”

Cantu comes to UTRGV after playing for the St. Edward’s Hilltoppers from 2020-24, where she earned her bachelor’s in kinesiology with an emphasis in physical therapy. The 5-4 guard played in 94 games making 31 starts and averaging 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game at St. Edward’s. She was a 74% shooter from the free-throw line and averaged 19.6 minutes per game for her career. Cantu earned the Topper True award while at St. Edward’s, which is given to one student-athlete each year who embodies what it means to be a Hilltopper.

Growing up a coach’s kid, Cantu calls herself a “gym rat” and grew up around the game of basketball. She played for her dad, Rafael, at Mission Veterans, where she racked up individual accolades as a four-year letterwinner. She was the district and RGV Basketball Coaches Association (RGVBCA) All-Valley Newcomer of the Year in 2017, the district co-MVP in 2019, and the district and RGVBCA MVP in 2020. She also earned The Monitor’s All-Area Co-Offensive Player of the Year, All-Region IV and Class 5A All-State honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) as a senior.

“I’m truly happy to be back home, and what better way to make my homecoming than by contributing with the sport I’ve loved my entire life,” Cantu said. “I’m excited to work with Coach Lord and the rest of the coaching staff and the team, to learn about them and from them. I really want to take this coaching opportunity and see where I can run with it.”

Coming off her own four-year career, Cantu hopes to be a resource to help the Vaqueros adjust to the demands of being a collegiate student-athlete. She’ll lean on the experiences gained during her own playing career to preach the importance of the guard-post relationship and balancing academics with athletics.

“Being a student-athlete isn’t an easy task, so my goal is to be someone they can lean on and talk to and feel vulnerable with and give some basketball knowledge as well,” Cantu said. “My dad was my high school coach, so I was lucky to have an amazing human being guide me. The best thing about going into coaching now is I can use all of that love from my dad and my previous coaches and mentors and be that person for the next generation.”

Cantu is eager to soak up lessons from the Vaqueros coaching staff and share her love of the game. She said it’s special to be back home as she embarks on a new chapter in basketball and aims to be an asset to the program.

“I want to thank the Valley, the community, for all of their love and support and everything they’ve done as I continued my journey into college basketball and now back to the Valley,” Cantu said. “The beauty of this staff is that we’re all so different in a good way. We all bring something new and exciting to the table. I’m so excited to go on this journey with this team.”

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UTRGV Football adds Henderson, Palomares as graduate student coaches

Graphic via UTRGV Athletics.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) head football coach Travis Bush announced on Thursday the addition of two graduate student coaches, including Gunnar Henderson, who will work with the offense, and Brandon Palomares, who will work with the defense.

Gunnar Henderson

A graduate of McAllen High School, Henderson comes to UTRGV after playing in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game with TCU.

“We’re extremely excited about the addition of Gunnar Henderson to our staff,” Bush said. “Gunnar will be a big-time coach one day and his experiences from McAllen High School all the way to the CFP National Championship game will add great value to our staff.  Gunnar also played wide receiver in our offensive system and will be a great mentor to our young student-athletes.”

In two seasons at TCU, Henderson saw time at wide receiver and on special teams, making 13 receptions for 235 yards and two touchdowns in 26 games. A two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Henderson averaged a team-best 20.3 yards per completion as a senior before competing in the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 rookie minicamp.

Henderson began his collegiate career at Incarnate Word, helping his team to the 2018 Southland Conference Championship. He was elevated to team captain as a sophomore while earning Academic All-Southland Conference honors.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity Coach Bush and the rest of the staff have given me,” Henderson said. “It is truly a blessing to start my college coaching career in the Valley. I am going to work extremely hard and do my part so the product we put on the field in 2025 is something the Valley is proud of.”

While at McAllen, Henderson was an offensive most valuable player, all-region and all-district wide receiver as a junior and senior. He was also a three-time all-district return specialist and, as a sophomore, an all-district defensive back.

Henderson graduated from TCU in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies.

Brandon Palomares

Palomares played football at Seguin High School from 2014-17, including his final two years for Bush, who was the head coach, and UTRGV Defensive Line Coach Nathan Langford, who was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

“Words can’t describe how proud I am of Brandon and how happy we are to have him on staff,” Bush said. “I sat in his living room on a home visit in Seguin in 2016 when he was a junior in high school, and now I look down the staff room table to see him as a grown man and a coach.  He understands the culture of toughness and competitiveness we will build here and will be a great role model for our young student-athletes.”

As a student-athlete at Seguin, Palomares rushed for 1,573 yards on 231 carries while scoring 15 touchdowns in 29 games across three varsity seasons. He also caught 37 passes for 479 yards over his final two seasons after passing for 331 yards on 38 completions as a sophomore.

Palomares returned to Seguin full-time in 2022-23, coaching three varsity sports, including football, over the last two years.

“I’m incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to attend UTRGV and work under Coach Bush and alongside Coach Langford,” Palomares said. “They have not only served as my coaches but have also been mentors who have poured into me and inspired me to pursue a career in coaching. I look forward to being a part of history and serving the Rio Grande Valley. I’m excited to be a Vaquero. V’s up!”

Palomares graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

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UTRGV WR coach Brasfield to work with Minnesota Vikings

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team announced on Thursday that wide receivers and player development coach Chris Brasfield will work with the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff during training camp from July 20 through Aug. 4 in Eagan, Minn., as part of the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

This is the fourth time Brasfield has been selected for the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coach Fellowship, after previously taking part with the Buffalo Bills in 2012, Tennessee Titans in 2009, and Oakland Raiders in 2000.

“I’m excited to have been selected by the Minnesota Vikings for the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship,” Brasfield said. “The Vikings organization has earned the reputation of operating with high standards and values. From the ownership to the front office, coaches and staff members, there is a winning culture being established. I look forward to being a part of that environment through this internship. I hope to bring back some knowledge that offers some additional tools to the players I’ll be coaching at UTRGV.”

This is the second-straight year in which a UTRGV coach is participating in the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program, as pass game coordinator/safeties coach/recruiting coordinator Adrian McDonald worked with the Atlanta Falcons during training camp last year. Additionally, running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Marco Regalado participated in the program with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year.

“I’m excited for Coach Brasfield to get this opportunity and glad the calendars aligned,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “This internship will benefit our program the same as last year when Coaches Regalado and McDonald had the opportunity. To be around and work at the highest level of training, and to be able to bring ideas and techniques back that will help our young men is invaluable.”

For more than 30 years, the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship has helped outstanding coaches gain exposure to NFL training camps and offseason workout programs.

The program’s objective is to use NFL clubs’ training camps, offseason workout programs and minicamps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate, and gain experience.

Brasfield has nearly 20 years of coaching experience and additional high level recruiting experience.

 Brasfield previously served in roles including running backs coach, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, and senior analyst and special assistant to the head coach at SMU (2018-20), associate athletics director of student-athlete recruitment & experience (2015-17) and director of high school relations for football (2014) at Nebraska, running backs coach at Oregon State (2011-13), defensive graduate assistant at Oregon (2010), running backs coach at Samford (2007-09), Chicago Hope Academy head coach (2005-06), Fort Worth County Day School head coach (2002-04), offensive graduate assistant at TCU (spring 2001), assistant coach at All Saints Episcopal School (2000), assistant wide receivers coach at Texas State (1999), and wide receivers coach at Midwestern State (1996).

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UTRGV baseball knocks out WAC champs

Junior Sharyland High alumnus Martin Vazquez hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth and senior Edinburg Vela alumnus Nico Rodriguez pitched a career-high four scoreless innings of relief to lead the No. 7-seeded UTRGV baseball team past the No. 1 Grand Canyon Lopes 10-9 in a Western Athletic Conference Tournament elimination game on Thursday at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s.

UTRGV looks to play two elimination games on Friday. The first game is Friday at 5 p.m. against No. 4 California Baptist. The winner of that game faces the loser of the earlier game between No. 2 Abilene Christian and No. 5 Tarleton State at 8 p.m. Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

Vazquez finished a career-high tying 3-for-5 a triple short of the cycle with three RBI and a career-high tying three runs scored. It’s the second time he’s scored three runs in a game in this tournament.

Vazquez led off the eighth with the game tied at nine and belted the go-ahead home run off Nathan Ward (1-2).

Vazquez now has 17 home runs this season, the fourth-highest single season total in program history. He is also now tied for the 10th most home runs in a career along with Montclair Cain(2021-23) and Andy Ness (1999-00).

Senior Vela alum Nico Rodriguez (5-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the win. Rodriguez struck out three while scattering three hits and one walk during his outing.

Graduate student Adrian Torres went a career-high 5-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two run scored. It was Torres’ second game of at least four hits during the tournament. Senior Kade Yorkwent 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Easton Moomau finished 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

The Lopes (34-23) made errors on each of the first two batted balls, allowing the Vaqueros (29-24) to put two on with nobody out. Vazquez followed by hitting a liner down the right field line for a 2-run double. The throw came to the plate, and with Vazquez off the second base bag, Alton Gyselman tried throw behind him. The Throw went into centerfield, though, where there was no one to field the ball, allowing Vazquez to score to put the Vaqueros up 3-0. 

The Lopes tied the game in the second on RBI-singles by Eddy Pelc, Emilio Barreras and Tyler Wilson.

In the bottom of the inning, Moomau came up with two on and one out and sent hit a ground-rule double over the right-centerfield wall to give the Vaqueros a 4-3 lead.

The Lopes tied the game in the third on an RBI-ground out by Eli Paton, who then gave the Lopes the lead with a home run to make the score 5-4 in the fifth.

Two outs after Paton’s home run, the Lopes put runners on the corners, setting up a Barreras RBI-single and a Wilson 3-run home run to put the Lopes up 9-4.

The Vaqueros responded in the bottom of the inning by putting two on with one out, setting up a Torres RBI-double, a 2-run triple by junior Vela alum Isaac Lopez, and an RBI-single by junior Hank Warren to make the score 9-8.

That was it until the seventh, when the Vaqueros put runners on the corners with two outs and York hit a game-tying single.

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UTRGV baseball drops second round WAC tourney game

The No. 7-seeded UTRGV baseball team fell to the No. 3 Utah Valley Wolverines 12-6 in the second round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s.

UTRGV plays in an elimination game on Thursday at 9 p.m. against the loser of Thursday’s 2 p.m. game between No. 1 Grand Canyon and the winner of Wednesday’s 6 p.m. game between No. 4 California Baptist and No. 5 Tarleton State. Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

The Vaqueros (28-24) knocked out Chase Hennessey after four batters, as senior Kade York started the game with a 6-pitch walk and freshman Easton Moomau reached on a fielder’s choice with an error that put runners at second and third. Junior Sharyland alum Martin Vazquez followed with a liner off Hennessey, who recovered and threw wildly toward the plate, allowing both runners to score. Graduate student CJ Valdez then drew a 4-pitch walk to end Hennessey’s outing.

York reached base three times, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Moomau went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Valdez drew a career-high tying three walks.

Mitch Mueller (6-1) came in and retired the first 10 batters he faced. In the fourth, however, with the Vaqueros down 6-2, junior Steven Lancia hit a 1-out triple and junior Hank Warren grounded out to bring him home, making the score 6-3.

The Vaqueros pulled within 6-4 in the fifth on a Valdez sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the fifth, though, Nate Bach launched a 2-run home run to put the Wolverines (29-27) up 8-4.

The Vaqueros loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, leading to a run-scoring walk by graduate student Adrian Torres and an RBI-fielder’s choice by Lancia to bring the Vaqueros to within 8-6.

The Wolverines added four runs in the eighth when Matthew Schwarz scored on a passed ball, Calyn Halvorson hit a 2-run triple, and Bach lifted a sacrifice fly to make the score 12-6.

In his first-career start, junior Jack Lopez (0-1) racked up a career-high five strikeouts over 2.1 innings of 1-hit ball.

In the third, the Wolverines loaded the bases with one out. Cole Jordan walked to force-in a run and then Bach cleared the bases with a triple. Jayden Smith followed with an RBI-single. One batter later, with runners on the corners, Smith stole home as part of a double-steal to put the Wolverines up 6-2.

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UTRGV baseball tops UT Arlington in WAC tourney opener

Senior Zach Tjelmeland pitched a complete game to lead the No. 7 the UTRGV Vaqueros baseball team past the No. 6 UT Arlington Mavericks 8-5 in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s in Mesa, Arizona.

UTRGV advances to the double-elimination portion of the tournament Wednesday at 2 p.m. against No. 3 Utah Valley. Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

In his second-career complete game, Tjelmeland (6-3) struck out four without a walk while allowing five runs on nine hits. He threw 68 of his 98 pitches (69.39%) for strikes.

“Well, (Tjelmeland) is a senior, so this is it for him. … He showed a lot of grit and fight and what a good game by him to fight through that whole game and save our bullpen for the rest of this thing,” UTRGV baseball head coach Derek Matlock said.

Offensively, the Vaqueros (28-24) hit three home runs, including blasts by junior Sharyland High alumnus Martin Vazquez, junior Edinburg Vela alumnus Isaac Lopez, and graduate student CJ Valdez. Vazquez and Lopez now each have 16 career home runs, tied for the 12th-highest career total in program history with Rafael Barbosa (1982-83). They’re each one away from entering the top 10 in program history.

Vazquez finished a career-high tying 3-for-5 with a career-high tying three runs scored. Lopez went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Valdez finished 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and four RBI. Graduate student Adrian Torres went a career-high tying 4-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and a career-high three stolen bases. Junior Hank Warren and freshman Easton Moomau each finished 2-for-5 with a run scored.

The Vaqueros jumped on Caden Noah (3-4) right away, as with two outs in the first, Valdez hit a 2-run home run that soared out of the park at 110 miles per hour and traveled 397 feet to make the score 2-0.

With one out in the third, Warren singled and then Lopez followed with an RBI-double to make the score 3-0.

In the fifth, Vazquez launched his 16th home run of the season, a 405-foot solo shot that left at 108 miles per hour. Two outs later, graduate student Torres and Warren singled. During the next at-bat, Torres stole third and scored on a wild pick-off attempt to put the Vaqueros up 5-0.

Tjelmeland retired the first nine batters and 12 of the first 13. In the fifth, though, the Mavericks (22-34) opened the inning with 3-straight hits, capped by a Garrison Berkley 3-run home run, to make the score 5-3.

Then, with one on and two outs in the seventh, Parker Airhart hit an RBI-double to make the score 5-4.

The Vaqueros pushed back with three runs in the eighth, as Lopez led off with a 425-foot home run that left his bat at 103 miles per hour. Then, with two outs, Valdez hit a 2-run triple to make the score 8-4.

Ryan Black homered in the ninth to complete the scoring.

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Vaqueros win regular season finale vs. Sac State

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team closed out the regular season with a 6-2 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,314.

UTRGV opens the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament as the No. 7 seed on Tuesday at 2 p.m. against No. 6 UT Arlington in a single-elimination contest. The winner advances to the double-elimination portion of the tournament Wednesday at 2 p.m. against No. 3 Utah Valley. All games take place at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s, in Mesa, Ariz.

Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

UTRGV improves upon its single-season program attendance, finishing at 62,132, along with a program record average of 2,219 fans across 28 home dates.

Saturday’s attendance is the fifth largest for UTRGV since moving into UTRGV Baseball Stadium in 2002. Seven of the top 10 attendance marks for UTRGV at UTRGV Baseball Stadium have been achieved this season along with the 6,044 against UT Arlington on April 6 (second), the 5,374 against Utah Valley on April 13 (third), the 4,451 against Sacramento State on May 17 (fourth), the 4,313 against Grand Canyon on March 23 (sixth), the 3,962 against Stephen F. Austin on April 28 (ninth), and the 3,915 against Stephen F. Austin on April 27 (10th).

In his final home game, senior Kade Yorkled the Vaqueros (27-24, 15-15 WAC) by creating their first two runs and making a Sportscenter Top 10-worth play.

York led off the first with a walk against Sean Carey (0-1), stole second, moved to third on an error, and scored on a groundout by freshman Easton Moomau to make the score 1-0.

York had the Vaqueros’ first hit, a solo home run, his fifth of the season, with one out in the third to put the Vaqueros up 2-1.

In the fifth, with a runner at first and two outs, Tyler White scorched a ball up the middle. York ranged to his left and dove to snare the ball and then made a backhanded shovel pass to second to get the out and end the inning.

Sophomore Wyatt Wiatrek started and pitched a career-high 4.2 innings of 2-hit ball, striking out five.

The Hornets (26-30, 14-16 WAC) scored their lone run against Wiatrek with two outs in the fifth on a White RBI-single.

Junior Jack Lopez (1-0) followed Wiatrek with 1.1 hitless innings, striking out one, for his first-career win.

Junior Tyler Davis struck out the side in the seventh and retired the first four batters he faced while pitching 1.2 innings of 1-run ball. He racked up a career-high four strikeouts.

The run came in the eighth on a 2-out RBI-single by Jorge Bojorquez.

Senior Vela alum Nico Rodriguez recorded the final four outs, striking out one, for his fourth save.

The Vaqueros scored three runs in the fourth. The Vaqueros put runners on the corners with nobody out. Junior Hank Warren laid down a perfect bunt to the right side, beating the throw for a single while driving in a run. One batter later, with the bases loaded, junior Vela alum Isaac Lopezwalked to force-in a run. Freshman Evan Janner followed by hitting into a double play to score Warren.

The Vaqueros added a run back in the eighth on graduate student Adrian Torres’ fourth home run of the season.

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UTRGV dominant in win vs. Sacramento State

Junior EJ Miramontes struck out a career-high eight in a career-high 7.0 innings to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team past the Sacramento State Hornets 9-2 on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,451.

UTRGV improves upon its single-season program attendance, now at 57,818

UTRGV is averaging 2,141 fans across 27 home dates. Regardless of Saturday’s attendance, UTRGV will break the existing program record of 1,920 fans per date set across 20 dates in 1972.

Friday’s attendance is the fourth largest for UTRGV since moving into UTRGV Baseball Stadium in 2002. Six of the top nine attendance marks for UTRGV at UTRGV Baseball Stadium have been achieved this season along with the 6,044 against UT Arlington on April 6 (second), the 5,374 against Utah Valley on April 13 (third), the 4,313 against Grand Canyon on March 23 (fifth), the 3,962 against Stephen F. Austin on April 28 (eighth), and the 3,915 against Stephen F. Austin on April 27 (ninth). 

Making his first start since Feb. 28 and his second of the season, Miramontes (1-0) didn’t allow a hard hit while scattering six singles and two walks. Two batters after allowing a run on a Tyler White sacrifice fly in the third, Miramontes retired 9-straight hitters. He also retired the final four hitters he faced.

While earning his first-career win, Miramontes threw 66 of his 96 pitches for strikes (68.8%).

Senior Kade York, who was honored with the Jody Ramsey Memorial Award before the game, led the Vaqueros (26-24, 14-15 WAC) offensively by reaching base four times on a triple, a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch while driving in two runs and scoring twice. Junior Hank Warren went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Evan Janner went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

The Vaqueros sent 11 batters to the plate in the first to scored five runs. Jasper Nelson (1-2) plunked York, walked freshman Easton Moomau and plunked junior Sharyland alum Martin Vazquez to loaded the bases. Graduate student CJ Valdezfollowed with an RBI-single. One out later, Warren and graduate student Adrian Torres hit consecutive run-scoring infield-singles. Freshman Vela alum Rudy Gonzalez walked to force-in a run and then Janner hit into a fielder’s choice to bring home a run.

In the third, Gonzalez and Janner led off with singles before York hit a 2-run triple. One out later, Vazquez lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Vaqueros up 8-1.

The Vaqueros added a run in the fifth on an RBI-double by junior Vela alum Isaac Lopez to make the score 9-1.

The Hornets (26-29, 14-15 WAC) got one back in the eighth on an RBI-single by Matt Masciangelo.

UTRGV and Sacramento State close out the regular season on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. Tickets are on sale for $1 at GoUTRGV.com/DollarGame. Fans are encouraged to arrive by 6 p.m. for the senior day ceremony.

Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

The post UTRGV dominant in win vs. Sacramento State appeared first on MyRGV.com.

This post was originally published on this site

by utrgv reports

Vaqueros defeat Islanders in South Texas Showdown

The UTRGV baseball team beat the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 4-3 on Tuesday at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.

The middle of the Vaqueros (25-23) lineup combined to reach base six times and score all four runs, as graduate student CJ Valdez and freshman Armani Raygoza each went 1-for-3 with a walk and junior Hank Warren finished 2-for-4. Valdez scored twice while Raygoza and Warren each scored once.

The Islanders (21-31) led 1-0 in the first on a Garrett Gruell groundout.

That was it against sophomore Wyatt Wiatrek, who struck out four in 3.0 innings

The Vaqueros tied the game in the second on a sacrifice fly by freshman Edinburg Vela alumnus Rudy Gonzalez before taking the lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by graduate student Adrian Torres.

The Islanders regained the lead against junior Anthony Tejada (2-2) in the fifth as Issac Webbhit an RBI-single and Sebastian Trinidad laid down a suicide squeeze to make the score 3-2.

The Vaqueros struck back in the sixth, loading the bases with one out against Joshua Flaugher (0-3). A wild pitch brought home Valdez and freshman Evan Janner hit a sacrifice to give the Vaqueros a 4-3 lead.

Five Vaqueros relievers combined for four scoreless innings to close out the game. Junior Jack Quinn struck out two in a perfect sixth. Junior Tyler Davis struck out one in a scoreless seventh. In his season debut, junior Bobby Loya struck out one while getting two outs in the eighth. Senior Sebastian Mejia recorded the final out of the eighth. Junior Jack Lopez struck out one a scoreless ninth for his second save.

UTRGV opens a three-game series against Sacramento State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.

Come enjoy a special taste of barbecue, including the launch of Vaqueros Gourmet BBQ Sauce, created by The Jank, at a pregame tailgate presented by G3 Scrap Metal and Vaquero Outfitters. Setup begins at 12:30 p.m. The tailgate begins at 3 p.m. with free barbecue, music, Vaqueros Gourmet BBQ Sauce samples from The Jank, Vaqueros Especial Salsa samples from Tio Pelon, free wings from Wing Barn, a t-shirt giveaway from 7 Day Addiction.

During the game, there will be a best decorated apron contest with prizes from Vaquero Outfitters.

The game also features the Cane’s Challenge. If the Vaqueros win, all fans in the stadium will receive coupons for buy one, get one free box combos at Raising Cane’s on their way out.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

The post Vaqueros defeat Islanders in South Texas Showdown appeared first on MyRGV.com.

This post was originally published on this site