By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial pitcher Fred Villarreal has been nearly unhittable this season. Literally.
The senior has thrown one complete game no-hitter and two five-inning no-hitters, one of which he was perfect throughout.
On the strength of Villarreal’s right arm, the Chargers have picked up where they left off last season, posting a 9-1 record in District 32-6A play to sit atop the standings. At this rate, Brownsville Veterans is seemingly headed towards a second straight district title with just four games to play.
“He’s done a fantastic job for us,” Brownsville Veterans coach Eric Gonzalez said. “He’s been mentally tough. There’s been situations where he had to throw strikes and he would. When he takes the mound he has a lot of confidence. He exudes confidence, which brings a lot of confidence to the team and to the players.”
One look at his statistics tells a quick story of how dominant the senior has been on the mound this season.
Villarreal is 8-0 (with one save) with a minuscule 0.33 earned run average in 42 1/3 innings. He has allowed three runs — two earned — on 12 hits, none of which were for extra bases. He has walked four and struck out 82, and opponents are hitting just .086.
Villarreal has already committed to the University of Houston, but several Major League Baseball scouts have kept a watchful eye on his progress.
“If it happens, it happens, but as of right now, I have my mind in Houston,” he said of a potential draft selection. “It’s my last year in high school and I just had to leave everything on the field. It’s paid off with my hard work. I’m glad it’s all happening.”
The senior right-hander is reaching 93 mph on the radar gun.
“Ninety-three in college is pretty darn fast, but in the high school setting that’s pretty dominant,” Gonzalez said. “He’s showing what a 93-mph fastball can do.”
Villarreal’s velocity has continued to increase from last year. He credits his offseason workouts for the football season for increasing his strength. Gonzalez also referred to a throwing program that has helped his hurler increase his fastball by 3-4 miles per hour since the beginning of the year.
With each start on the mound, Villarreal continues to impress his coach, scouts, opponents and everyone else around him.
“He’s making a name for himself,” Gonzalez added. “He’s showing he’s going to move on to college, and with any luck, in the professional ranks. Right now, he brings a lot of confidence to a high school team.”
That confidence is radiating from Villarreal when he is on the hill, and his teammates follow his lead.
“Fred is more of a silent leader and leads by example. Getting on the mound and giving them his best,” Gonzalez went on to say about Villarreal, who has dealt with a nagging injury all season. “It shows you he’s a team player, he’ll play hurt and the guys appreciate that.”
Villarreal said it makes his job easy because the team is closer than they were last year. That will hopefully help lead them to a deeper postseason run.
“All I try to do is set the example all the time. I’m trying to work hard each play, each pitch, each at bat,” he said. “We’ve formed a bond, our whole team is real close to each other. After that loss (to Hanna), I feel like that brought our team back together and we’ll see where it goes from here.”
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.