Athletics hits the ground running

As the semester begins, UTRGV Athletics programs plan for an exciting season with their respective athletes and coaching staff.

The men’s basketball team has improved its win-loss ratio considerably from the 2016-2017 season with a current overall record of 10-8.

Last season, the Vaqueros finished with a 10-22 overall record.

They opened conference play with a victory over the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Jan. 6.

Before its victory over UMKC, the squad defeated Our Lady of the Lake University 96-75. The successful game, which took place Jan. 2 in the UTRGV Fieldhouse, was credited in part of the scoring performance by sophomore guard Xavier McDaniel Jr., who had 17 points, in addition to seven other members of the team, who scored in double figures.

Other players scoring double figures were sophomore Lesley Varner Jr., juniors Terry Winn and Lew Stallworth, and seniors Nick Dixon, Moe McDonald, Dan Kimasa and Mike Hoffman.

Head Coach Lew Hill said the players’ familiarity with him as coach can be credited to the team’s improvement.

“It’s their second year with me, so we’ve been through the year, we’ve learned, we’re more experienced,” Hill said. “Last year, they still had the loser mentality. But, like I tell everybody, you’ve got to crawl before you walk.”

While no players have left from the fall, there is a new player, forward Terry Winn, from the University of Texas El Paso who could potentially provide a needed bounce to the team.

“He brings us a physicality we didn’t have,” Hill said. “He brings a different leadership, a different mindset that our team has grasped.”

Last Thursday night, the squad sealed their second WAC conference win over California State University, Bakersfield with a score of 87-74.

The Vaqueros also faced off against the Grand Canyon University Antelopes in conference play last Saturday in Phoenix, but as of press time, results were not available.

The men’s team will also go up against Utah Valley and Seattle universities on Thursday and Saturday in the Fieldhouse.

Visit utrgvrider.com for game coverage.

Women’s Basketball

So far, the women’s basketball team has been doing about as well as it did last season. Last year, the team had an overall record of 19-14, compared to its current record of 10-7. On Jan. 6, the squad opened its conference play with a home game loss (54-52) against UMKC.

Last Thursday night, the Vaqueras suffered their second straight conference loss (67-64) against CSUB in an overtime thriller.

Head Coach Larry Tidwell said there are no new players or changes to the coaching staff.

“We’re sticking with the status quo this season,” Tidwell said. The inspiration comes from within. We’re gonna reach new heights. We’re gonna get prepared. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

The women’s team will hit the road against Utah Valley and Seattle on Thursday and Saturday.

Baseball

Last year, the UTRGV Baseball Team had an overall record of 26-28. The season opens at home against Central Michigan University at 7 p.m. Feb. 16.

Derek Matlock, who spent the last five years at West Virginia University as a pitching coach, is the new head coach for the Vaqueros.

Matlock said the team is getting acclimated to his coaching style.

“If there is one thing I’ll say about our players, it’s that they are unbelievable kids, unbelievable workers,” he said. “They have bought in 100 percent. We had a great fall of guys playing extremely hard and being extremely coachable.”

Coleman Grubbs, a sophomore transfer from North Central Texas College, will be at the center field spot.

Austin Douglas (right-handed pitcher) and Victor Garcia Jr. (first baseman), are both players from last season who graduated with a bachelor’s of science in criminal justice. The first baseman starting position had not been determined as of press time.

Matlock said the team is ready to swing for the WAC.

“It’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna play fast in and off the field. We’re gonna play fast and aggressive offense,” he said. “The plan is ready.”

Golf

The men’s and women’s golf teams will compete in the Waves Challenge Tournament Jan. 29 in Ventura County, California.

The teams have Men’s Head Coach Philip Tate and Women’s Head Coach Bryan Novoa to help them prepare for the season.

Novoa started as the new women’s coach in the fall. He played golf professionally from 1997-2006 and served as the head scoring instructor at Scoring Solutions Golf from 2008-2017.

“I went into observation mode for the first 60 days,” Novoa said. “And, yeah, I did speak my mind and give suggestions, but now I’ve had the time to get to know the students.”

Freshman Tennoshin Ogawa, of Japan,  and Texas A&M University sophomore transfer Rachel Yu are the newest members of the golf teams who will represent UTRGV this spring.