LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos hasn’t lost a District 32-6A game in two years.
The Falcons’ dominant run through district play also happens to coincide with shortstop and pitcher Joshua Muñoz’s junior and senior seasons.
After winning the award last year, Muñoz is now The Brownsville Herald/Valley Morning Star’s back-to-back All-Area Most Valuable Player following another standout season.
“Now that my high school career is over and I can look back at it, it’s been great,” Muñoz said. “This (award) is something I thought of freshman year, and now that I can say that I accomplished it my last two years, it’s pretty great.”
Muñoz led the Falcons in batting average (.472), runs (39), hits (51), RBIs (29) and stolen bases (29).
Also, he was their top pitcher, going 8-3 as a starter with a 1.88 ERA and one save in 13 appearances. He struck out 57 in 48 1/3 innings, allowing just 13 earned runs.
“This past year was one of the years where I barely realized that I was pretty decent on the mound,” Muñoz said. “It’s a pretty good feeling, being able to have the game in your hand at all times, every pitch. This past year was fun being able to pitch and be part of our success.”
Los Fresnos’ Josh Munoz (23) pitches against PSJA High in a game at PSJA High School on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in San Juan. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
Muñoz and the Falcons put together a 13-game winning streak during the regular season that bled into the start of the playoffs. They made quick work of Edinburg High in the opening round of the playoffs before losing a back-and-forth area-round series against Laredo United.
Muñoz credited Los Fresnos head coach Rene Morales for building and upholding the winning tradition with the program.
“That was something that Coach Mo talked about. They have a great coaching structure, and it’s all built around hard work and having that grit,” Muñoz said. “You either have it or you don’t. Everybody there is hard workers. The way that we won, it was all about being gritty.”