THE RIDER FILE PHOTOS
The UTRGV Baseball Team had a rollercoaster of a first half of the season. With fewer injuries, consistent starters and better team communication, the team hopes to have a strong second half of the season, according to the coaching staff.
As of press time Thursday, the team’s record is 14-16 (9-7), and it is the fifth seed in the Southland Conference.
After winning its first game against the University of Kansas, the Vaqueros went on a four-game losing streak. The team keeps jumping from winning to losing streaks; most of the losses have come against bigger schools. These schools include Texas State University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Rice University. They have also lost to teams such as Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, which is 3-9 in the SLC after winning two of the three-game series against UTRGV.
Head coach Derek Matlock said during a press conference on Wednesday that it is great to be back home.
“It’s exciting, man, getting back in our ballpark here,” Matlock said. “So, every time we challenge these guys, just like on the road, [like] Nicholls [State University] and Houston Christian [University], we challenged them. Teams that were above us, let’s go get them, and they responded in two sweeps. So, hopefully the motivation piece of [the] conference and us trying to get back in there and getting the top part of it to try to win this thing back-to-back years is a motivation piece.”
Thomas Williams, a redshirt senior infielder, said he feels good; however, he knows the team has a lot of work to do.
“I just feel we haven’t been playing to our best ability, which is kind of a good thing at the end of the day,” Williams said. “There’s a lot more in the tank for us. We’ve got a lot more to improve, and I think that’s a good thing.”
He added he believes the inconsistency between winning and losing games is due to the team not clicking.
“I just think it’s just not really playing together as a team,” Williams said. “That’s something Coach Rob [Martinez, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator], talks about a lot. I think one game we’ll pitch really well, and one game we won’t hit too well, and vice versa. … I think we just have to play better as one.”
Matlock said injuries are bringing the team down, causing inconsistency in starters.
“With [Carlos Vallejo’s] finger hurting, we couldn’t get too crazy with [Victor Loa], killing Vic’s pitch count,” he said. “So, we held in there with Vic and [Harrison] Thayer, [and] tried to get them out there. … We’re having a situation where we’re having some good at-bats, but they’re so spread out that we’re not producing runs. … But injuries happen to everybody right now. We’re all going through it.”
Matlock said he hopes they can pick up a few wins at home over the rest of the 2026 season.
“It’s been a long fight with really a lot of great teams sprinkled in there, which is fine,” he said. “It’s not where you’re at now. It’s where you’re going to be at the end. … We need to get moving in here in our house, and we need to protect this thing.”
UTRGV played Northwestern State University at home for a three-game series opener Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Vaqueros fell to the Demons 17-9 on Thursday. As of press time, Friday and Saturday results were unavailable.
The Vaqueros’ next game will be against Houston Christian University at 6:30 p.m. today in the Baseball Stadium on the Edinburg campus.
