Face-lift on the diamond

The UTRGV Baseball Team looks a lot different than it did at the end of last season. Around half of the 30-man team is new to the program.

“We had a lot of guys graduate last year,” Head Coach Manny Mantrana said. “The new guys that we brought in, they’ve meshed well with the returners. We’re definitely gonna be a lot faster and a lot more athletic than last year. In that regard, as far as buying into what we’re doing–being more athletic, having more team speed– those are all good things.”

UTRGV is trying to earn its first overall winning season since 2012 and its second conference record above .500.

Even though the Vaqueros are entering the season with many new faces, two top hitters will return.

Seniors Jose Garcia and Joseph Collazo led the Vaqueros in hitting a year ago and they will be counted upon again. Last year, Garcia led UTRGV in batting average (.369), on base percentage (.447) and runs scored (38). Last week, he was elected to the preseason All-WAC team by head coaches in the conference.

Collazo also hit over .300 at the plate, .409 on base percentage and 56 on the season.

He will be counted on heavily this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s changing his approach.

“No added pressure or anything,” Collazo said. “Just go out there and play my game kind of thing. It helps our guys last year were good but we got better talent this year, so I think we’re going to hit as a team better this year.”

Again, the team is filled with an influx of junior college transfers, which also has positives, according to Collazo, who transferred to UTRGV from Broward College last year.

“It definitely helps that they’re from junior college, because at least they have college baseball experience,” Collazo said. “It’s a little different when you come right out of high school. There is a transition, the game’s a little faster. I think in the fall they saw that and I think they’ll be ready.”

One newcomer looking to make an immediate impact is true freshman Anibal Leal. The La Joya High School alum owned an impressive stat line during the course of his time with the Coyotes, including a .449 batting average and 102 RBIs.

Leal is motivated to work hard in hopes he can pitch in right away.

“Just motivates me to try get some playing time and help out my team,” he said. “It’s tough because they expected a lot from me, and I like that; I like to get motivated, I’m just trying to push.”

The 6-foot-3-inch first baseman will likely back up senior Victor Garcia Jr. this season and try to soak up as much experience as he can.

There are question marks all over the pitching staff. Every pitcher who threw more than 50 innings last year is gone. The Vaqueros pitching staff is also hit hard by players leaving the program. They are counting on transfers and a few returners to get batters on edge.

“We’ve got six guys that are vying for those four starting jobs, three on the weekend and one midweek,” Mantrana said. “The other two guys are going to play a key role for us out of the bullpen.”

Mantrana is pleased with the progress of his pitching staff, including a specific righty transfer from the Big Ten Conference.

“Tremendous improvement, particularly Connor Grant, transfer from Iowa, a huge improvement. He’s really come a long way with his change-up,” he said, before shifting to talk about a sophomore returner. “I think the biggest surprise—well, not surprise, he’s really worked hard in the summer–is one of our returners, Luis Acosta. He’s come a long, long way. He’s one of those guys battling for a key job out of the bullpen or even a midweek starter.”

UTRGV baseball starts at 7 p.m. Friday when the Vaqueros host Texas Southern University for a four-game set, including a doubleheader on Saturday. The homestand will continue with the Al Ogletree Classic when they welcome Prairie View A&M University at 7 p.m. Feb. 24.

Nonconference will continue into March, highlighted with trips to SEC opponents Texas A&M University and Big 12 powerhouse University of Texas.

The Vaqueros will open conference play at home March 24 against Utah Valley University.