BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela senior Aaron Galvan looks like a baseball player as soon as he walks onto the field.
From the way he wears his uniform, to the way he swings the bat. He even eats sunflower seeds like a pro.
That aura was earned through years of hard work, perfecting his swing just as he perfected the way he wears his cap.
Galvan has all of the physical tools, but his focus on the mental side of the game is what sets him apart.
As he describes slumping at the plate, his baseball mind breaks down the game with an ease acquired only after countless hours of study and practice.
“Sometimes I go in a little slump, but I just try too hard sometimes,” Galvan said. “I just load up and then miss the ball by an inch. Against Edinburg North, I had a few balls that should have gone out. But that’s just the name of the game. You are going to miss some, no matter how good you are.”
Vela coach Jaime Perez described Galvan as the heart of the team. He impacts all of his teammates, and specifically junior Ramsey Amador.
Amador and Galvan became close quickly. They bonded over their love of the game and their desire to be better players.
“We are always trying to push each other,” Amador said. “We can tell each other ‘You’re horrible,’ this and that, but we take it as competition. We just want to see who is going to do best.”
Their social life often involves baseball.
“We like going to the cages late at night, like 9:30, even 11:30,” Amador said. “Sometimes we don’t get home till 12, and it’s not even because we were out with friends. It’s just because we were at the cages hitting.”
Insults are often the language of intimacy in the locker room.
So when Amador and Galvan both committed to UTRGV, the intimacy began.
“Even this year, we were talking about competing head to head (at UTRGV),” Amador said. “He tells me, ‘You are not going to start,’ and I tell him, ‘No, you are not going to start.’ I’m just looking forward to seeing both of us on the field together.”
“We just joke around like that,” Galvan added. “When we play with UTRGV, he’ll be cleaning my shoes while I’m playing. … We just joke about stuff like that to get a little laugh. That’s what this game is all about, just having fun and competing.”
The way the two push each other has shown in their play on the field. Coming into the season, many expected Galvan to be a Player of the Year candidate. He still is, but the race may be closer to home than many expected, because Amador is putting pressure on his candidacy.
Galvan missed seven games with an injury earlier this year, but he and Amador’s numbers are still surprisingly similar. Amador is batting .527, and Galvan is hitting .463. Galvan has 24 RBIs, and Amador has 22. Amador has six home runs. Galvan has two. Amador has walked 15 times. Galvan has 11 walks.
“We try to beat each other all the time,” Amador said. “He has been my best friend since I was little. Now, we look at our numbers after every game. Right now, he’s batting .500, and I’m batting .529, so next game, he’s going to try to get back on top.”
Their competition has made each of them better.
Amador was pleased to hit a home run to the opposite field during Vela’s game against PSJA North on March 27, because going that direction is something he has been working on recently.
“What Aaron has taught me … when I see him drive the ball, he is able to hit the inside of the ball to drive it the other way,” Amador said. “He’s taught me that. I think that PSJA North home run is more because of him teaching me that.”
“That bond you see with Aaron and Ramsey, it carries over to our whole ball club,” Perez said.
Even seniors such as Adam Alviso and Matthew de la Cruz have been boosted by that bond.
Alviso, a sidearm pitcher, has had a breakout year in his first opportunity to pitch on varsity. He was on the mound when the SaberCats beat the PSJA High Bears on March 29, a win that put Vela in position to capture the program’s first ever district crown.
“It’s funny, because (Alviso) wasn’t really in the game plan at the beginning of the season, as far as on the mound,” de la Cruz said. “And then, finally, he got his opportunity, and he has just been showing out ever since.”
For de la Cruz, the success has been less of a surprise. He has had a standout career, and next year he will be playing for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
“(Incarnate Word) got a new coaching staff this year, and they are the main reason that I decided to go there,” de la Cruz said. “They come from good schools, Rice and Missouri. I just like the culture that they have there.”
The success this year for de la Cruz was more about adjusting on the fly. He had to jump from infield to outfield quickly, and he handled it with ease. He has earned more playing time in the outfield with each strong outing.
“Matt is having a great year,” Galvan said. “He’s really increased this year, and impressed me with his arm strength, his bat strength, his hand speed and everything he’s doing right now for this team. We are grateful to have him. He is a wonderful athlete. He can jump a 36-inch vertical. An 8-foot leap vertical. He runs a 6.7 (second) 60 (yard dash). He can fly, and he is a great asset to this team.”
The SaberCats sit alone in first place in District 31-6A with a 9-1 record. They have four games left, but one of those is against PSJA High (8-2), which is in second.
The SaberCats are confident, and with good reason. They follow their heart.
“We talk a big game, because the numbers show,” Galvan said. “We are trying to prove it to our town and let them know that we are here. We want to be the best that we can be.”
De la Cruz knows the SaberCats can reach their goals if they can keep their wits about them and play the way they are capable of playing.
“We just need to attack every team as if they are the best team we have seen,” de la Cruz said. “We can’t take any innings off. We just have to expect the best every time.”