TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
WESLACO — Weslaco High baseball coach Eddie Serna loves just about everything about the game.
The easy-going, ultra-tanned Serna enjoys the strategy, players and atmosphere. He especially likes working the diamond himself — dragging, watering and mowing the field to perfection.
“That’s my stress relief right there,” he said Thursday as he watched the grounds crew reset Weslaco High’s home field just after his Panthers dispatched Brownsville Porter 7-0 in the first round of the Rico Mid-Valley Classic.
Not much to worry about under a blazing sun as Weslaco scorched the Cowboys with a four-run second inning punctuated by Andres Pompa’s three-run home run. The senior was also on the mound and fanned six on his way to the shutout win, improving Weslaco to 3-4 this season.
But looking beyond this weekend’s tournament, to District 31-6A play and the rest of the season, Serna said the Panthers will rely on experience, some youthful energy, defense and pitching to compete in district and make the postseason.
“That is what we are going to hang our hat on and that’s something we always strive for,” said Serna, in his 18th year at Weslaco. “We got good pitching today. We got good defense and we got some timely hitting, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Although happy with Thursday’s result, Serna is still tinkering with lineups and looking for the Panthers to gel before district.
Serna will count on his seniors to lead. That wouldn’t be a departure from Thursday’s game, where Pompa starred, senior outfielder Tyler Lopez scored twice and defense preserved Pompa’s shutout.
“We’ve been working really hard on pitching and defense, and we’ve been coming through,” Lopez said. “I expect the same thing as last year. Be ready. Do a lot of damage and focus on the things we need to do.”
Several seniors must play key roles for Weslaco to march through to the playoffs.
In addition to Pompa (who typically plays shortstop when not on the mound) and Lopez, Serna will lean heavily on four-year letterman Ulises Hernandez, Jason McClenahan, Dylan Hernandez, Eric Reyna and Kristian Estevanes.
“We always expect our seniors to lead, and hopefully they lead us in the right direction. If not, I’ll take over,” Serna said with a smile. “We want them to lead by example. And we tell them, ‘You lead, follow or get out of the way.’”
While the Panthers hammered Porter and got the two-out, three-run homer from Pompa, Lopez and Hernandez said this team will not rely on the long ball. They will have to manufacture wins with solid contact at the plate and smart baserunning to win games.
Last year, the Panthers lost during the area round of the playoffs to La Joya Palmview. If they want to get back to the postseason, win and “do some damage,” they’ll have to “put in the effort,” said Hernandez, a pitcher and outfielder.
“It’s a hardworking team,” Hernandez said. “We are very energetic, and we really want to win.”