By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Although it can be wildly undervalued at the high school level, defense is vital in baseball.
Often times, it serves as the slimmest margin between winning and losing.
Los Fresnos’ Abel Rodriguez gets it — almost always in his glove.
The Falcons’ junior second baseman is one of the best defensive players the Falcons have and is one of the reasons why they’re headed back to the postseason.
“(Abel) does everything we ask him to do,” Los Fresnos coach Rene Morales said. “He’s been playing very good defensively and his bat’s starting to come around. He’s been very consistent at second base.”
Rodriguez hasn’t just been consistent; he’s been perfect in district play.
His fielding percentage was a flawless 1.000 during the district season in 48 chances and he’s helped turn a handful of double plays with fellow junior and shortstop Miguel Gonzalez.
“He’s been a cornerstone with Miguel up the middle,” Morales said. “They’ve done a great job. They’ve played two years together, so they know each other really well. Both of them are great with the glove and getting us out of jams.”
Their combination of defensive prowess has helped lead the Falcons to 21 wins, including 11 victories in District 32-6A that resulted in a runner-up finish, and more importantly a playoff berth.
Los Fresnos faces Weslaco High in a best-of-three series starting Friday night. The Falcons play host to the Panthers in Game 1 before hitting the road for Game 2 (and 3, if necessary) Saturday in Weslaco.
With the playoffs comes added pressure, and a strong defense has Morales pitchers relaxed, the coach said.
Morales said his hurlers have been able to concentrate on their own duties on the mound rather than worry about the defenders behind them.
“We tell our pitchers to throw strikes, let the defense take care of it and those two are a big part of that,” Morales said. “‘Let them hit the ball and we’ll make plays behind you.’ The pitchers feel very confident with those two guys up the middle.”
Rodriguez has had struggles at the plate this season, but it’s starting to come around at the perfect time.
As a team the Falcons hit .331 during the district season, but their pitching and defense are what have carried them. Los Fresnos has a 1.59 ERA and a .940 fielding percentage in district play.
It wasn’t hard for Los Fresnos to look for motivation this season. Missing out on the postseason the prior year was enough. It’s also the reason why the Falcons felt like they were a better team this year.
“The way we bonded with each other, our chemistry stands out,” Rodriguez said. “It helps us the most when we do what we have to do. (Returning to the playoffs) was a big motivation, you don’t want to forget that feeling (of falling short). We wanted that feeling of winning. We’re a lot more focused than we were last year.”
That close-knit bond is why the Falcons feel they have the potential to make a postseason run.
“There’s a great focus,” Rodriguez added. “We try not to be negative and stick together no matter the situation. We’re just listening to our coaching staff and making sure we’re doing what we need to do.
“We have to work hard and (everything) will work out.”
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.