By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
The return of spring means the return of baseball to the Metro-area. Although some things have changed, the goal remains the same, the postseason.
Los Fresnos is no different, and the Falcons hope to return to the postseason after capturing the fourth seed last season in District 32-5A. Even with the move to District 32-6A, the goals don’t change.
“The expectations are high again. We want to be in the postseason,” Los Fresnos coachRene Morales said. “These young kids have seen it, and they want to be back to the postseason again. They’re working hard and doing everything we ask them to do.”
Senior Keegan Danielson, one of the top returners for the Falcons, said the goal for the senior class is consistent.
“Just like every year, district champion,” he said. “That’s the goal every year.”
To return to the postseason, the Falcons will have to figure out how to replace its top hurlers from last season, the 1-2 punch of Christopher Martinez and Justin Cortinas, as well as its top hitter, first baseman Trevor Sommer.
But Los Fresnos has the talent remaining on the roster, including sophomore Miguel Gonzalez, one of the Metro-area’s top young players. Other players to watch include senior catcher Andrew Gray, junior pitcher/utility Nick Montemayor, junior outfielder Daniel Medina and senior utility player Brandyn De Leon.
Morales said the team isn’t where it wants to be yet, but he is confident the Falcons will pull it together.
“We just try to keep getting better every day,” he said. “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”
HANNA
After a regular season-ending win streak continued the Golden Eagles’ postseason streak, Hanna coach Eddie Garcia and his squad will look to again repeat the feat.
It will have to be done, though, without last year’s All-Metro MVP, Oscar Betancourt, and two other senior captains, Steven Lara and Austin Webb.
Hanna does return its top pitcher, All-Metro and all-district newcomer of the year Alec Buitron, who was 7-3 in district last season with a 2.58 ERA.
The Eagles will look to a pair of sophomores, Ivan Castillo (all-district first team) and Cesar Saldana (all-district honorable mention) and senior Roy Sauceda to help carry the team back to the postseason.
“We always set high expectations, but we’re realistic,” Garcia said. “We always want to make the playoffs. We want to get better as a team, but no less than the playoffs, that’s our motto.”
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL
Brownsville Veterans Memorial just missed a playoff berth on a district tiebreaker last year. The Chargers also decided to make a change at the helm. Former assistant coach Joey Benavides will take the reins from Tony Barbosa.
The Chargers return the bulk of their rotation this season as all-district first-teamers Jose Moody and Fred Villarreal, and Jose Moody return to the mound.
Also returning is the district offensive MVP last season, Jorge Montelongo, who will be counted on for his bat and his defense, as will catcher Santiago Moody and shortstop David Anaya.
RIVERA
Rivera looks to improve upon last year’s disappointing season. The Raiders were inexperienced and dealt with a constant changing lineup. Rivera coach Travis Parker and his squad won just four district games, but a lot of talent returns to improve upon that mark.
The Raiders top returner is center fielder Danny Elizondo. The senior hit .326 last season and was one of the team’s best defense players. Fellow senior Joaquin Garcia returns to the outfield and on the mound for the Raiders. Garcia finished the season with an ERA of 4.95.
Junior Jose Montoya also returns as one of the Rivera hurlers and also spent time at shortstop. Montoya also got it done with his bat, hitting .295 on the season. Josue Perales returns behind the plate, the sophomore hit .267 during his freshman campaign.
LOPEZ
Lopez returns this season with more confidence and a more experienced pitching staff. A pair of seniors, Sabas Lopez and Jose Serino, will be the starters on the mound for the Lobos with senior Robert Gomez and junior Marky Ordonez working in relief.
Lopez, who earned second-team all-district honors, is expected to be the team’s ace, and junior outfielder Eusebio Castro is another player to watch for the Lobos.
All four pitchers received plenty of experience last season and look to help the team improve upon its district record.
“We have good pitchers that have one year of experience under their belt,” Lopez coach Victor Martinez said. “They’ve improved over the offseason. They’ve worked really hard, so I’m eager to see how they preform this time around.”
With three seniors leading the way, the Lobos face a tough district that may have gotten a little tougher with San Benito coming aboard.
“I feel like every team got better,” Martinez said. “It’s going to be a tough night every night out there.”
PACE
Pace returns this season with plenty of experience and a new set of district opponents since they will remain in District 32-5A.
Led by first-team all-district pitcher Rigo Rubio, the Vikings return with plenty of talent. Rubio also hit .277 with five doubles, one homerun and nine RBIs.
Top hitter Mario Andrade returns after hitting .431 last season , leading the team with 25 hits, eight of them for doubles. Alonso Reyna hit just .241 but stole six bases and was one of the best defensive players for the Vikings last season.
“Last year we were very young,” Pace coach Ruben Aynes said. “I had one returning starter and everyone else was a first-year varsity player. Our pitching has always been there, but (everything else) wasn’t quite there.
“This year we’re starting to put everything together. That just comes from experience.”
Aynes thinks that being with new district opponents should help level the playing field, but nonetheless he is excited for the new season.
“We’re excited to see how much we’ve improved,” he said. “We picked up where we left off (last season).”
PORTER
Former Mercedes and longtime Sharyland coach, Barton Bickerton is now the top guy at Porter. Bickerton takes over for Armando Rangel.
The Cowboys’ top returner is first-team all-district pitcher Jose Perez. A pair of seniors, shortstop/pitcher Chris Munoz and catcher/pitcher Miguel Deleon, and junior third baseman Jesus Torres are players to watch for.
Porter also has a trio of sophomores that could play important roles, outfielder/pitcher Felix Ledezma, shortstop/pitcher Lupe Soto and outfielder/pitcher Jesus Ramirez.
As Porter remains in District 32-5A, Bickerton will see some familiar faces this season in Mercedes.
“I’m not thrilled about playing them,” he said. “I know what kind of team they have this season. It will definitely be a challenge.”
Bickerton is trying to change the atmosphere at Porter after it struggled last year. He has already set the goals high.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” he said. “If we have a chance to do anything other than that, it’s just icing on the cake.”
ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY
Once again, an assistant is taking over the helm for St. Joseph Academy . Gus Henggler, a two-year assistant, takes over for Julian Moya, who is now an assistant at Porter.
Henggler said he is continuing what Moya and John Paz before him were doing for the program.
“We’re trying to bring a baseball tradition to St. Joseph, playing the game the right way,” he said. “Only two seniors returning, so we have a young team.”
Juniors Alexander Shane (pitcher/third baseman) and Matthew Swartz (second base/outfield) should be two players to watch this season for the Bloodhounds.
Henggler expects the transition to be pretty easy for his team.
“The kids know me and know what to expect,” he said. “We just trying to teach them the way the game should be played. Baseball is situational, knowing what to do and when to do it.”
PORT ISABEL
Port Isabel made the playoffs last season on the strength of District 32-3A MVP and All-Metro Pitcher of the Year Jose Garza. With Garza graduating last year, the Tarpons will look to their young arms to make up the difference.
Three sophomores, Trey Mock, Kaleb Martinez and Chris Bode, and a pair of juniors, Joaquin Patino and Dakota Sanchez, will be expected to help the young Tarpons back to the postseason.
Port Isabel coach Robert Holland said the team has lost two-year starting second baseman Jonathan Garza to an injury for the rest of the season.
But the Tarpons have plenty of talent remaining with another year of experience. Hollandalso expects junior outfielder Javi Hernandez, junior first baseman Pete Garcia and sophomore outfielder Mark Martinez to play big roles for the team both defensively and at the plate.
“The goal is to make the playoffs,” Hollandsaid. “Every game we need to improve and we’ll see what happens at the end.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.