By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Weslaco High softball coach Mario Rodriguez wasn’t surprised with what he discovered earlier this week in doing research on Pearland, the team it will be facing today in the UIL state semifinals.
Pearland is a softball powerhouse, making its fifth trip to the state tournament and in search of its third state championship. All 14 of its seniors have already committed to play softball at the collegiate level.
A roster of that depth, at this stage in the playoffs, is of little shock to anyone who follows high school athletics. What Rodriguez was taken aback by, however, is how his program has yet to generate interest from college recruiters, despite being one of four teams in the state to still be competing in the playoffs.
“Valley softball has increased by leaps and bounds the last 10 years — making the state tournament three out of the last four years — and we still don’t get the recognition,” Rodriguez said.
Weslaco has faced long odds in reaching the state semifinals. Prior to San Benito in 2013 and 2015, no other Valley team had ever reached the state tournament in two-plus decades since the sport has been sanctioned by the UIL.
None of the teams in this year’s state tournament, in any classification, have gotten to this stage without multiple seniors on their roster. Weslaco has none. And while seven state-qualifying teams between Class 5A and 6A won their respective districts, Weslaco is the only one not have hoisted a trophy, instead finishing in third place.
That Weslaco has yet to field calls from college scouts — much less receive offers — despite overcoming a litany of challenges, speaks to the concerns of those who follow and support Valley athletics.
“When you achieve that success, you should be getting recognition,” former Weslaco assistant and current San Benito head coach Kristy Leal said. “San Benito is a great example of that, and now Weslaco is becoming that. And I’m sure next year, they’ll be under the bright lights again.
“But when you attain that goal and you’re going so far in the playoffs, you deserve that attention. In the Valley, it’s tough because we don’t have the universities or college coaches that make the trip down here. So we have to make the effort to get our players showcased in tournaments in Dallas or Houston or Austin.”
The criticism from colleges against the Valley, as documented in a seven-part series by The Monitor last August, are plentiful: Teams historically have not performed well in the postseason. With limiting recruiting budgets, scouts are incentivized to travel to showcases and tournaments in major cities. Athletes who do leave the region often return home. And the financial and academic requirements of attending a major institution often are too lofty.
Each year, in most team sports, the Valley encounters these issues, especially in the latter rounds of the postseason.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that in any sport, including football, that when teams north of us play us in the playoffs, they call us ‘Valley weak,’” Weslaco assistant Craig Johnson said. “At least for softball, I think that’s definitely changed. If anyone looks at the game, they’ll see the Valley has turned it around.”
Former San Benito coach Elias Martinez saw that trend beginning to shift a couple years ago, when his team shattered a list of Valley barriers — becoming the first softball team team to beat a San Antonio-area school, the first to go to the Elite 8 and the first to advance to state.
“We took a lot of pride in opening those doors,” said Martinez, now the head coach at Harlingen South. “It showed that we could play ball in South Texas, too. Now that Weslaco is in it, it’s a tribute to the whole Valley raising its level of play.”
After reaching the state tournament, Martinez said he began hearing from college scouts more frequently. But it was still an uphill battle, he said, in trying to get players recruited to some of the top universities.
Amber Jasso and Dorothy Millan both went on to sign with Laredo Community College. And teammate Crystal Castillo, the All-Valley Player of the Year in 2015, signed with Huston-Tillotson, an NAIA school.
“I think there’s still a mindset over there that we can’t play very well,” Martinez said, “but all of that is changing now. When we were there at state, it was like, ‘San Benito who? Rio Grande where?’ And that’s starting to change.
“We’ve always been successful, but we hadn’t reached the state tournament. No one had. Now that you’re at state, this is the type of momentum you want.”
For the past few weeks, the Valley has seen plenty of parity in the postseason. PSJA Memorial, which barely qualified for its first-ever playoff berth, upset state- and nationally-ranked San Benito in the opening round. Memorial went to advance two more rounds.
And for the first time in recent memory, four Valley softball teams from the same district qualified for the regional quarterfinals (third round).
With a victory today at McCombs Field in Austin, Weslaco can prolong its record-setting run by becoming the first Valley program ever to reach the UIL state final in softball. Prior to this year, Weslaco had never gotten out of the second round. Now it is getting ready for the sixth.
“If this doesn’t put us on the map, I don’t know what else will,” Martinez said. “Three out of the four years, the Valley’s at state. If they don’t put us on the map, something’s wrong. We’re definitely making some noise. We’re definitely playing well. I think it’s the start of something great.
“We started it, and Weslaco is picking up with it and running. This is a great time for softball here.”