Closer to home

Many Rio Grande Valley athletes may leave to pursue opportunities at other colleges and universities, while others realize their goals at home.

But why do some Valley players from the UTRGV Baseball Team decide to stay home?

Seven athletes from the Valley are working hard to make the home stand proud: catcher Oliver Closner, infielders Matthew Mendoza and David Becerra and pitchers Ryan Jackson, Luis Acosta, Jorge Flores and Juan Carreon II.

Mendoza is a redshirt sophomore who plays first base for the Vaqueros and is loving the “close-to-home” experience.

“Playing close to home is beneficial because it allows me to associate with my mom and dad and all my family around me and just for them to come to my games,” he said. “The support is always there, so it’s big. … They push me every day and it gives me something to look forward to.”

With almost three years of trajectory, the Vaqueros have had many ups and downs. This season, they are aiming to improve and become stronger when they perform.

Improvement is not only seen by the community, but also by Head Coach Derek Matlock.

“We have unbelievable kids that have really high work ethic … outstanding work ethic,” Matlock said. “That’s one thing from top to bottom in our team. Our guys are not scared of work. You got guys that are from here, they’re playing for their families, for their friends. … I think they play at a higher level, that’s what I’ve noticed. … They got pride in the Valley, just like I do, too.”

Sometimes, home is only a few minutes away.

“We’re like 30 minutes from home and we have family that live in Edinburg,” said Closner, who graduated from Mercedes High School. “Anytime we need anything, they’re just a phone call away. … Whenever we need anything, they’re there for us.”

Fellow Mercedes High School graduate Mendoza embraced the offer to stay in the Valley.

“They gave me an opportunity to play. … I took it and ran with it,” he said.

Closner advised student-athletes to never give up on their dreams or take anything for granted.

“Always keep fighting no matter the obstacles you face,” he said. “Just keep fighting and it’ll be worth it at the end.”

Mendoza reiterated Closner’s advice.

“There’s gonna be a lot of people that say that you won’t be able to do stuff,” he said. “You just gotta keep believing in yourself.”

As of press time, the Vaqueros’ overall record stood at 17-16.

“‘Man, you guys play so hard and so fast’ … ‘You guys are really bought in,’” Matlock said about compliments the team has received. “There’s guys that are doing a lot better. … I think they’ve just grown in their ability to compete; they really want to win. … When we’ve lost, it’s really hurt them.”

The coach said there are players who are not doing well on paper, statwise, but that doesn’t always reflect the truth.

“We’ll see if [opposing teams] have enough grip to come into the Valley in this heat and fight us on our own turf … cause we’re gonna fight them,” Matlock said about opening the three-game series against Grand Canyon University last weekend.

Results are available at utrgvrider.com.