By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial has a new baseball coach.
After former coach Joey Benavides quietly stepped down more than a month ago to pursue another endeavor, Eric Gonzalez has been chosen to fill the vacancy after being unanimously approved by the BISD school board on Tuesday night.
Gonzalez was recently in the same position at Laredo Community College where he spent seven years leading the program. Prior to 2007, he worked as a hitting and infield coach for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“Personally, I’m very excited about having him on our team and as part of our athletic program,” Brownsville Veterans athletic coordinator David Cantu said. “I’m looking forward to him getting started.”
The Robstown native played for two years at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville before playing for two years Texas A&M and played in the College World Series with the Aggies.
“It feels great to go back to high school and provide the knowledge that I have to younger baseball players,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve always liked Brownsville. It’s untapped, I think there are a lot of players there that need a chance to move up.”
Gonzalez knows how to win and has been a part of several winning experiences as both a player and a coach.
“They all have certain characteristics and you have to have those certain characteristics to have a championship team,” he said. “I’m going to empower the team, give them as much knowledge as I can and let them play.”
Benavides had a record of 21-4-2, including 13-1 in district in his first year, won the District 32-6A title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Cantu said Benavides left Brownsville Veterans unexpectedly, but on great terms.
“He had a business opportunity that he couldn’t pass up,” Cantu said. “It’s a big loss, but we’re trying to move on.”
Gonzalez has coached at the Division I and professional level, but the opportunity to provide that information, as a coach at high school level was a challenge he wanted to take.
“I’ve always wanted to go back to high school and make a state playoff run,” he said. “When I interviewed, I told them I wasn’t there to try to win district, I was there to try and win the state championship, and that’s what I’m going back down for.”
Cantu hopes for a smooth transition for Gonzalez, but was glad to move forward.
“We’re really relieved because it’s been a pretty lengthy process,” Cantu said. “I’m glad it’s over and we found the right person.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.