DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — In an ideal world, Allan Wilburn would be batting cleanup and No. 2 in the pitching rotation this season for Hidalgo’s baseball team.
That was Wilburn’s role as a sophomore for last season’s Pirates that went to the Elite 8. But this time around, as Hidalgo (25-5-1) returns to the Elite 8 and heads to Corpus Christi for its Class 5A regional final against El Campo on Saturday, Wilburn’s role is different.
After suffering two injuries during the season — a tweak of his shoulder during a long-toss exercise in the offseason and a hamstring injury that happened during the second round of district play — Wilburn has had to work his way back into himself.
It has not been easy.
“Last year, we were one game from going to state and I played a big role in that,” Wilburn said. “Then I get hurt and I felt like I wasn’t the same.
“It’s not a good feeling when you’re hurt, when you’re not playing as well as you did the year before. I started thinking I might never get healthy.”
The frustration was evident in the junior outfielder. Wilburn was fantastic last season, batting .440 with 38 RBIs and 27 walks and going 9-1 on the mound with a 2.21 ERA and 69 strikeouts to 20 walks.
But in recovering from upper and lower body injuries, Wilburn has not looked the same. This season, he is hitting .303 with 14 RBIs. He has only pitched in two games, throwing a combined six innings, striking out nine and not allowing an earned run.
Hidalgo coach Karlos Carrasco watched Wilburn carefully to make sure the dismay didn’t mount. He slid Wilburn to No. 6 in the lineup so he’d see more fastballs and get his confidence up. He also pitched Wilburn in a couple of games to ease his anxiety.
Carrasco communicated early and often with Wilburn, letting him know, step by step, how the coaches were going to handle Wilburn’s recovery and why.
“Coach has always been there for me. He’s always asking about me,” Wilburn said. “I know he cares. He knows I want to do whatever it takes to help this team, and I know he will do what it takes to help me do that.”
Carrasco’s care of Wilburn during an adversarial time paid off.
“All season long, he’d never been the same,” Carrasco said. “He wasn’t the same Allan we had last year. Until now. Now he’s the guy we know.”
Wilburn has been steady in the playoffs. He has a .392 on-base percentage and has only struck out once in 28 plate appearances. Defensively, he’s been solid.
There is no question Wilburn, who said he feels at 80-90 percent full health, is ready to pitch. Carrasco has used ace Oscar Noguera, No. 3 pitcher Kike Mendoza in the No. 2 role and sophomore Raul Ortiz as the No. 3 during this postseason in which the Pirates are 7-0.
“He’s ready to go,” Carrasco said of Wilburn pitching. “He tells me he’s ready. But for his safety, I don’t want him to get hurt again. We’ve been doing so well, I tell him, hey, as long as his bat’s alive.
“If I need him, I’ll use him. I’m sure there will come a time as we get later in the playoffs where we’ll need to put in a lefty to show something different.”
There will be no rush to do so. Odds are Wilburn will be Hidalgo’s ace next season, so Carrasco will continue to be careful with how and when he uses him.
It’s a plan Wilburn has accepted.
“I knew we had an opportunity to do great things this year and I wanted to be a part of that,” Wilburn said. “Last year, it was so exciting because we made history as the first Hidalgo team to go to the Elite 8. We were nervous. This year, there’s been a lot of things in our way. It seems it’s been a more difficult journey.
“But, here we are again.”