By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — From as long as she could remember, Weslaco High freshman Audrey Escamilla has always played against older competition.
At 10, she joined under-14 teams to stay close with her sister Alyssa, two years her senior. And upon entering high school, Escamilla took on college-aged players in offseason games. It’s for that reason, coach Mario Rodriguez believes, that Escamilla has hardly shown her age during her first varsity campaign.
She’s batting a team-leading .417 during the playoffs, while posting a .472 on-base percentage, and shouldering a significant load as the starting catcher and No. 3 hitter during the Lady Panthers’ record-breaking playoff run.
“Audrey’s always played up in age, so she’s had to fend for herself early,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why she plays at the level that she plays. It shows in her confidence, because she’s never played like a freshman this year.
“She doesn’t even like to be called a freshman, even when we’re joking around.”
From the moment Rodriguez worked out Escamilla, he knew she’d be capable of making an immediate impact. In practices, she was among the more vocal players on the team, despite her age. She’d catch players attempting to steal base, even without her coach’s warning. And she had a clear read on batters and the type of pitches to call.
“When you see her do all those things, that’s when you say, ‘Oh, she’s legit,’” Rodriguez said. “I’m out there hitting to the girls, and I could hear her telling the girls, ‘you need to do this, you need to do that.’ Not only can she play her position well, but she knows what everyone around her should be doing.”
Escamilla’s emergence has come at an opportune time for Weslaco High, which is gearing up for a Region IV final against New Braunfels. Game 1 of their best-of-three series begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.
She joined the team after the Lady Panthers had auditioned two players at catcher the previous season. Their starter, at the time, had been injured in a car accident, ruling her out for the season, and Weslaco divided the duties between Alyssa Escamilla and Gabby Rivera.
Then Audrey arrived. Having played the position since age 8, she was a natural fit, especially playing with pitcher Taylor Tafolla, her travel team partner.
Audrey has also delivered at the plate, hitting five home runs. Two of those came during their regional semifinal series against Corpus Christi Carroll. She had one in Game 1 to spark a 6-0 lead on Friday. And on Saturday, she crushed another as the Lady Panthers avoided elimination and rallied to win the series.
“I don’t really let those big moments get to me, because I don’t want to get overconfident in my next at-bat,” Audrey said. “I just stay level-headed and try to stay in the now.”
In what typically would have a transition year for a freshman, adjusting the varsity game, Audrey has flourished from the outset and has carved out a role for herself. Rodriguez believes the “bumps and bruises” she endured playing against older players has helped “slow the game down for her” as a freshman.
And even as she’s battled persisting lower-back pain, even during the latest playoff series, Audrey has forged ahead, becoming a key contributor for Weslaco High, one round away from the UIL state tournament.
“You know, I’ve just had to push through it and keeping going because I have to be here,” Audrey said. “I’m just taking things game by game, getting ready for anything.
“I knew it was going to be difficult (playing on varsity as a freshman), but I knew I was going to be able to handle it.”