SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Valley View senior shortstop Ricardo Sanchez learned to play baseball from his family.
His father was a professional player in Mexico, and his mother came from a baseball family.
They got Sanchez into baseball early on, and he has loved the sport ever since.
“My dad taught me how to play the game,” Sanchez said. “He has always been supportive of me and helped me get better.”
Sanchez’s father quit playing pro baseball when Sanchez’s older brother was born.
“Money has been tight in our family sometimes,” Sanchez said.
His father’s work often prevents him from seeing Sanchez’s games. But when the elder Sanchez has the time, he makes the effort to go and support his son, even if just for an inning or two.
“When I see him at my games, it means a lot,” Sanchez said. “I know he would love to be at every one of my games, so it’s a blessing any time he is there.”
Sanchez’s mother is always at the games to support Ricardo and his younger brother Orlando, who is a sophomore outfielder for the Tigers.
Sanchez said he got his fighting spirit from his father, and that has shown on the field this year for the Tigers.
This season, Ricardo Sanchez hit .389 with 30 runs scored and 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts. His efforts helped spark the Tigers, who won their first district title since 2006. The championship was also the team’s first in Class 5A. The Tigers went 21-8-1 overall and 14-2 in District 31-5A. The Tigers led the charge as the Valley claimed all four of the district’s playoff spots, leaving the three Laredo teams home for the postseason. Then, the Tigers led the way again as 31-5A swept 32-5A in the bi-district round.
“We were actually down 5-1 in the first game,” senior third baseman Edilberto Reyes said of Game 1 in Valley View’s bi-district matchup against Brownsville Pace last weekend.
Down four, the Tigers relied on the experience of seniors like Reyes, Ricardo Sanchez and Felipe Chavez to keep their poise and begin to rally.
“We told them to relax and play our game,” Ricardo Sanchez said. “We have been able to put up big innings all year. We needed some there, and we got them.”
Valley View posted a 10-run inning in response to take Game 1 by a commanding score of 19-6. The confidence from Game 1 carried over into Game 2, which Valley View won 10-0 to sweep the series.
“It was a good series,” Valley View coach Mario Gonzalez said in Spanish. “We saw a lot of heart from our kids, and that series gave us even more confidence.”
Valley View begins its area round series with Corpus Christi King at 7 tonight at Tuloso-Midway High School.
“They are a very good team,” Gonzalez said. “They have a lefty who can be really tough to hit.”
Reyes said he hasn’t faced a left-handed pitcher all year, but the Tigers aren’t too concerned because they have five left-handed batters in their lineup.
Sanchez hasn’t been the only driving force for Valley View. Jaret Ornelas hit .516 this year with 34 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Chavez, the catcher, hit .465 with a team-high 36 RBIs.
“He is also great on defense,” Gonzalez said. “He is a brick wall back there, with his ability to block the ball. He also has great framing, which can really help our pitching staff out.”
Reyes was right behind Chavez with 35 RBIs and a .486 batting average.
Even freshman Gustavo Enriquez has risen to the challenge. Enriquez has been the pitcher to get the ball in big spots despite his inexperience. He led the team with 33 2/3 innings pitched and 40 strikeouts.
“I felt comfortable right away,” Enriquez said. “The players welcomed me, and they had my back when I was on the mound. They have become like brothers to me.”
Not only is Enriquez new to Valley View, he is new to the country, as well, having moved to the United States from Mexico less than a year ago. He said his family moved here to give him an opportunity to succeed in baseball and school to potentially secure his college education.
“They sacrificed a lot for me,” Enriquez said in Spanish. “My dad still has to go back for work, but they make it work to help me.”
Not only does Ricardo Sanchez’s attitude embody what the Tigers aspire to be, but his work with the glove in the field sets the tone for the team.
“He is probably the best defender in our district,” Gonzalez said. “No one, but him, can make some of the plays he makes, and his instincts are so natural.”
Ricardo Sanchez is headed to Alvin Community College after this year to join his longtime friend Dylan Dougherty, who played for the Hidalgo Pirates last year.
“We played together ever since we were little,” Ricardo Sanchez said. “I am so proud of what he has done this year, and I can’t wait to be there with him next year.”
For now, though, Ricardo Sanchez has his eyes on only one thing.
“We can’t wait to play King. We are going to give it everything we have. I can’t think of a better way to end my high school career, than by winning my first district title and going to the third round for the first time in my career in the same season.”