BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Here they are, the Valley’s last baseball team standing: the Edinburg Vela SaberCats.
Only six years ago, the program was in its infancy, just starting to field competitive teams. Over the years, coach Jaime Perez has put in tireless work to get his team to this point, and the talent on the roster has certainly made that work just a little bit easier.
“It’s such a great feeling to be here, because these kids deserve it,” Perez said. “We teach our kids to prepare, so that they can say we prepared harder than anyone standing across the field from us.
“Unity is the secret for us. We are one big family — 27 guys. That is a lot of dudes to carry. But they are around each other so much. It makes my job easy. It makes the game fun for all of us. These kids do such a great job.”
The SaberCats are in the fourth round for the first time in program history, in the same season they won the program’s first district title.
“It feels great to be here,” junior shortstop Ramsey Amador said. “It is history with coach Perez. He deserves it after all of the hard work he has put in. It feels amazing.”
Vela faces San Antonio Churchill in a UIL Class 6A regional semifinal series that begins at 7 tonight at Blossom Athletic Center in San Antonio. Game 2 will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at UTRGV, and Game 3 will be played 30 minutes later, should a Game 3 be necessary.
“I think our kids are up to the challenge,” Perez said. “Our kids are not intimidated. There is a lot of talking, but we try to stay out of the limelight and handle our business.”
A big factor in Vela’s success this year has been the team’s adaptability. The SaberCats used five pitchers in their series against Los Fresnos, and each brought his own unique approach, which forced the Falcons to react.
The SaberCats began the series with senior Aaron Galvan, a UTRGV commit who has pro potential. Vela then had the luxury of bringing in senior Adam Alviso, whose signature sidearm style has given opponents fits all year.
Then, late in Game 3 — a one-run game with the season on the line — Amador got the ball and took the bump for the first time in exactly 10 months.
“It felt really great,” Amador said. “I just wanted to come through for my team. … I had been telling coach, half joking, ‘Put me on the mound. I want to show you what I can do.’ The last time I pitched was at Texas Tech over the summer with the Sliders. I haven’t been on since then, and I told coach, ‘Just let me show you I can do this.’ The team had my back, and it motivated me. One pitch at a time, throwing strikes, and knowing that I have a great defense behind me, I got it done.”
Amador pitched 1 2/3 innings, earning the save. He allowed just one hit and struck out a pair of Falcons.
“That was big time,” Perez added.
The SaberCats’ versatility doesn’t end on the mound, either. Their talent pool allows them to throw different lineups at opponents like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Instead of the Hamptons Five, Vela has its own death lineup, featuring power, speed and plate discipline, 1 through 9 in the batting order.
“We have been tested all year long,” Perez said. “We went to the Border Olympics in Laredo, and then we went down to Mira’s Tournament in Corpus. That helped us a lot to prepare for this series right here.”
Eric Martinez is the embodiment of the transformation the team has gone through. Last year, he struggled to find playing time, because his bat ran hot and cold. But, after the season, he dedicated himself to baseball. He went through a rigorous offseason schedule facing top competition. Churchill senior Jack Neely, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound right-hander who is committed to the University of Texas, was one of Martinez’s teammates last summer.
“From what I hear, he has only gotten better since we played together,” Martinez said. “I am hoping the little bit of information I have can help the team.”
Martinez’s dedication has paid off, and it showed in the series against Los Fresnos. He had four hits and six RBIs, including a two-run home run in Game 1 that gave the Vela the lead.
“It feels wonderful to see all of the hard work we have put in to come to fruition,” Perez said. “He has been through the ups and downs. Mentally, I knew it was hard for him. What he has done on and off the field to prepare himself for this moment, that was big for us.”
Martinez is just a microcosm. Many of the Vela players have similar stories.
“We have so many arms on this team,” Galvan said. “I think everybody on this team can throw, and we are very grateful for that. Everyone has a live arm, and we are all good enough to compete and hold the opponent to minimal runs.”
Some may see the SaberCats’ rise to the top of the Valley as a bit of a surprise, but the SaberCats have known this was coming for a while, and they want to welcome everyone along for the ride.
“Last year, when our season ended in the playoffs, Aaron and I, along with Adam and Matt de la Cruz, we were saying we are going to come back stronger than ever,” Amador said. “We looked at our team, and we had a few big loses, RJ (Ochoa) at catcher and Ryan (Rodriguez) at third, but we are filling in with Mito (Jaime Perez Jr.) behind the plate now, and as a freshman he has really grown. We also have Yulean (Torrellas) at third. He has done a great job.
“It’s a really strong team, and we are here to make a historic run.”