Noe Solis and Jimmy Moody of Brownsville Veterans Memorial each found a passion for baseball at an early age.
Now the duo will continue to play the game they love after signing agreements to compete collegiately Thursday at Brownsville Veterans. Solis will play for Midland College in Midland, and Moody is set to join Coastal Bend College in Beeville. Both are National Junior College Athletic Association schools.
Solis, a pitcher and third baseman, hit .430 on 37 hits including nine doubles. He had had 15 RBIs to go with 10 runs scored. He walked four times and struck out just twice. On the mound, Solis went 4-4 with an ERA of 2.66 in 65 2/3 innings, allowed 28 runs (25 earned), struck out 49 and walked 11. He earned District 32-6A first team honors for his work on the hill during his final season.
“(Baseball has) always been a big part of my life,” he said. “I developed a love of the game (from an early age) because of my coaches.”
Moody, a catcher, hit .344 with 31 hits including seven doubles and three triples. He drove in 17 runs and crossed the plate five times. He walked 10 times and struck out nine times. Moody earned honors as the defensive player of the year for the district.
“Baseball has changed my life,” he said. “I’ll always remember sharing the field with the same players since I was 10 years old. It’s always been a dream of mine (to play baseball in college).”
The pair helped the Chargers win at least 20 games during each of the last two seasons and back-to-back district titles with a record of 25-3 in district play.
“It was a pleasure coaching these guys,” Brownsville Veterans coach Eric Gonzalez said. “I’ve never met two more coachable boys in my life. They responded, they listened to me and they wanted to get better.”
The pair was part of an eight-player senior class that will graduate soon. Gonzalez said it’s going to be hard to replace Solis, Moody and the rest of his seniors next season.
“(Solis and Moody) helped set a tradition, hopefully the rest of the guys can follow that,” Gonzalez said of the consecutive district titles and trips to the postseason. “It’s going to be tough to match their intensity on the field next year.”
Solis will play first and third base and pitch for the Chaparrals next season. He plans on working this summer to get ready for his next challenge and is excited for the opportunity.
“(Midland) has a solid program and I think they have what it takes to get me to the next level,” he said.
Moody said Gonzalez knew a few coaches at Coastal Bend and that helped encourage the program to take a look at him this season. The four-year starting catcher said his varsity experience has helped him get to where he is and he’ll play the same position for the Cougars
“It has given me confidence to keep going to the next level,” Moody said. “But I’m hoping to go somewhere else after that. After four years, I’ll hang them up and move on to bigger and better things.”
For Gonzalez, it’s bittersweet, but he has no doubt that both his players will thrive.
“I think they have the mentality to succeed,” he said. “They both have a lot of talent and that drive to succeed. I’m excited for them, I wish them luck.”
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.