STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Surrounded by friends, teammates, and family, Sebastian Ledesma announced his decision to sign with Our Lady of the Lake University on Wednesday morning in the lecture hall at Los Fresnos High School.
An emotional Ledesma addressed those gathered in the hall, thanking his teammates and coaches and dedicated the signing ceremony to his parents.
“My parents have supported me through everything; they are my rock,” Ledesma said. “After I got the offer, they helped me out and we made the best decision (for me) based on living terms and all that.”
The four-year varsity letterman and versatile infielder has played second base and third base for the Falcons this season.
Ledesma said he was grateful that Coach Rene Morales and the Falcons’ staff helped shape him into the player he has become.
“This program helped me to be mentally strong,” Ledesma said. “I’ll be prepared for the next level because of them. They’ve got a really good support system.”
Morales said that Ledesma has been a leader and a key part of the team’s success during his tenure with the Falcons.
“We’re really proud of him,” Morales said. “He’s going to do very well at the next level.”
OLLU, a private Catholic university in San Antonio, began to show interest in Ledesma around September of last year, which continued to grow after he played in nearby showcase.
The school competes in the NAIA’s Red River Conference.
Ledesma was very interested in continuing his education close to home and ended up finding a match in a school and a coach that has started to become a home-away-from-home for Rio Grande Valley high school players.
In the spring, Ledesma will play for a Saints squad coached by former Harlingen High and UT-Brownsville (before the school consolidated with the University of Texas-Pan American to form the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) head coach Bryan Aughney, who is in his second season with the program.
Aughney has also recruited Harlingen High’s John Ortega and Rio Hondo’s Cross Gonzalez to join his 2019 class. OLLU has players from Donna High, Harlingen High, Lyford, and Weslaco High on its active roster.
“Ortega is a really good friend of mine,” Ledesma said. “So I’m excited to play with him as well.”