DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Every day, Ruben Cavazos passes by the hole in the wall in his house.
And every day, the Mission Veterans Memorial senior is reminded of who he is and why he’s that way.
“I had a baseball bat and I was swinging it in the house and my mom kept telling me, ‘Ruben, don’t be swinging that bat. Don’t do it,’” Cavazos said of a particular episode when he was 7 years old. “And I didn’t listen, and that bat slipped out of my hands and made a hole in the wall.
“She disciplined me, and I may have gotten the other end of the whip, but that hole is still there and it reminds me every single day.”
Cavazos laughed when he recalled the story.
“I can remember hiding behind my drawer, hoping she wouldn’t come get me, but I learned at an early age to respect adults, my parents, my coaches, my teachers,” Cavazos said.
Largely because of that hole, Cavazos is revered by teammates, praised tirelessly by coaches and otherwise is just the ideal 18-year-old, as Patriots coach Casey Smith would tell it.
“We had a game earlier this season where we lost 4-0 to (Edinburg) Vela,” Smith said. “Ruben had applied to some Ivy League schools, but didn’t bother checking his email because he didn’t want to be distracted for the game.”
Later that night, Smith received a text message from his star outfielder. All his applications were turned down, he wrote. But he thanked Smith for pushing him to apply and “opening my eyes to something I’d had no clue about before.”
“This young man had just been told ‘no’ by colleges and he’s texting me, thanking me, saying this was going to be an experience that helps him in the future,” Smith said, shaking his head. “Just the perspective … to look at the bright side and be thankful for the experience, it’s unbelievable for an 18-year-old.”
Cavazos will be attending Texas A&M for engineering.
IN HIS APPROACH
Smith has been the head coach at Mission Vets the last six years and was an assistant coach at Sharyland High the previous six years.
He said he’s never had a leader like Cavazos, who is a big reason why the Patriots (26-8) are in the Class 5A regional semifinals for the first time, beginning with Game 1 at 8 p.m. Thursday versus Georgetown at Calallen.
“You watch him go about his business and the way he does things, you can learn from it,” Smith said. “He’s so mature. As an adult, I watch him go about things and see that I can do things differently. He really brings things to perspective.”
It’s not just Cavazos’ talent. In 32 games, he is hitting .385 with 15 RBIs, 27 runs scored and almost as many walks (11) as strikeouts (12).
It’s his demeanor.
“Ruben is a guy who lifts people up,” said junior Roly Niño, the Patriots’ team manager the last three years. “He has a vibe that’s contagious. He motivates us, he keeps us moving.
“He’s such a positive guy that you can’t help but have your spirits up when you’re around him.”
For Cavazos, the trick is in the approach. He’s always lending a positive word. He’s always seeking the teammate who he can help pick up.
Leticia and Ruben Cavazos raised their son to love and respect others. That applied to everything, including the baseball field.
“My job is to do the best I can and try and make anybody else better,” Cavazos said. “I remember as a freshman having Adrian Morales, Julian Fernandez … upperclassmen who held the team together and made sure the team was intact. I learned from them and did my best to carry that on.
“If you respect your teammates and play this game to the best of your ability, people will follow you.”
One of those followers is sophomore infielder Eddie Galvan.
“Ruben knows what to say and when to say it,” Galvan said. “He’s great when it comes to big situations. He doesn’t back down. Those situations can be scary for us younger guys, but he’s always there to carry us through it.”
DOING IT RIGHT
While his teammates pack up and prepare for home after an afternoon practice earlier this week, Cavazos is one of a few Patriots still on the field, picking up baseballs and helping move the batting cage.
It’s a scene that isn’t lost on Smith. It brings to mind their first encounter.
“He’s probably 110 pounds soaking wet as a freshman and we think he’ll be a JV kid,” Smith said. “He ends up starting in centerfield. He looked overmatched a lot, but found a way to get the job done and just had this presence about him.
“He’s always doing everything right all the time.”
Cavazos isn’t doing it for looks. He’s doing it because he savors the moments.
“Growing up, we all had our roles in the family household. It’s a sense of knowing you’re not entitled to everything,” Cavazos said. “Enjoy things while they last. Most of us are told at 18 years old that our baseball careers are over, and it’s the little things we’ll remember. Having to pick up in the cages after practice or whatever.
“One day we’re going to miss that. I’m just trying to make every moment count, every moment last, whether it’s during a game or a practice.”
It’s all a coach could ask for.
“Ruben is not going to tell you something and then not do it himself,” Smith said. “He’s here early, he leaves late, he cheers teammates, he helps pick up equipment after practice.
“Everything he does is leadership.”