From player to coach

Baseball is no stranger to unique journeys, be that for players, coaches or anyone else working in and around the game. And for Vaqueros infielder and first base coach Chris Mondesi, that is certainly the case.

After finishing his sophomore season at Dyersburg State Community College in Tennessee, he received a call from former Vaqueros associate head coach Russell Raley. He transferred to UTRGV in the summer of 2021 as an infielder.

He played 35 games in 2022 for the Vaqueros, where he hit .240 with 4 home runs, driving in 20 runs. It was during the fall of that year that a shoulder injury threw a wrench into his aspirations as a player.

“I tore my infraspinatus tendon in my left arm, my non-throwing shoulder,” Mondesi said. “[I] knew I wasn’t going to be 100%. When the results came back, I knew I had to make a decision.”

During this time, UTRGV Baseball head coach Derek Matlock noticed he was helping out and giving infielders advice, so he asked Mondesi if he would consider becoming a coach. He was promoted to his current position in February 2024.

“At first I really didn’t think much about it,” Mondesi said. “I went on to help the infielders that year, got my master’s and fell in love with it.”

Graduate shortstop Isaac Lopez played alongside Mondesi in his freshman year and said the experience of being a player helps him as a coach. 

“He understands where we’re coming from,” Lopez said. “It’s pretty cool to see him go from my teammate and playing next to him to my coach and we always keep it real with each other.”

Matlock told The Rider the results of Mondesi’s coaching with the infielders “reflect” in the team’s fielding percentage. As of press time Friday, UTRGV’s fielding percentage is .983, best in the Southland Conference.

“He works hard with them,” he said. “He keeps them accountable. He’s constantly after them and working them hard. He’s pretty organized at what he wants to do with them and he’s a great fit for us.”

The two biggest things Mondesi constantly reminds the infielders are to trust their instincts and to constantly keep attention to detail.

“If you do the small things correctly and pay attention to details, 99% of the time things are going to go your way,” he said. “Instincts [are] a big thing in the infield because you’re so close to the hitter and you have less time to make a decision.”

On game days, Mondesi prepares different drills tailored to the specific needs of infielders at various positions, including fungo bat drills and in-and-out drills.

“[We drill] ground balls, making throws across [and] preparing the mind for what they’re about to attack in a game,” he said. 

During batting practice, Mondesi said he works specifically off to the side of the field with infielders, drilling specific aspects of their glove work, from attacking ground balls to first basemen working on picking low throws. Once the game starts, he coaches first base while the Vaqueros bat.

He comes from a big-time baseball family. His uncle Raúl Mondesi was an outfielder for 13 years, winning two Gold Gloves. His cousin Adalberto Mondesi was the first player to make his MLB debut during the World Series, winning a ring with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

Mondesi credits his father Cristian as having a significant influence on his life and his baseball career.

“[My father] has been there for every step,” he said. “He pretty much was the one who molded me and guided me and trained me for the most part.”