Weekly Recap & Awards No. 3

Spring Break Baseball Takes Center Stage

Last week was a baseball fan's dream- games nearly everyday, extra innings, upsets, Top-10 matchups, and more. Of course, I'm talking about Whataburger Field hosting a plethora of games, including one that saw Carroll beat King in a 13-inning marathon by a score of 5-4. We had another thriller in 10-innings, with Flour Bluff losing to CC Veterans Memorial 5-4.

Let's not forget about one of our pitchers of the week, Dietrich Lopez, striking out 16 batters in a win over Kingsville King. Just dominance! On the offensive side, Gregory-Portland's Austin Vasquez hit an astounding .857 with 6 RBI's and 1 HR on the week. That average led the area for the week.

29-5A Overview by Javier Guzman

District 29-5A, aka the “Big 12”, is once again living up to its name. Gregory Portland, CC Ray & CC Veterans are currently on top of the standings with GP at 4-1, Ray 3-1 & Vets 3-1…but lurking behind is a surprise Flour Bluff team who has a 3-2 District record and just lost on a walk off SAC Fly to Ray Friday afternoon at Whataburger Field 5-4.

While that is your top four teams (as of March 16th), record-wise the Alice Coyotes just got into the mix with a big win last week vs. CC Ray 3-2 in a very competitive ballgame. Alice sits at 2-2 with big games coming up next week vs GP & Flour Bluff. 

Not to be forgotten, CC Carroll at 2-3, CC King at 1-3, and CC Moody at 1-3 all notched district wins last week as well. Marcus & I definitely had Ray & Vets on top but it seems now after the first half of first round of district play that there is no dominant team and every team is competing well and beating up on each other. Its still early, but hang on because this is going to be a wild ride to the very end…don’t be surprised if a couple teams tie for some playoff spots and we have tiebreaker games.

Sinton vs. London Quick Hit by Marcus Sarate

I got to check out London host Sinton on Saturday on a great day for baseball. Both teams came to play, as Sinton ultimately came away with a 7-6 victory. There was plenty of offense on display as Aiden Salinas went deep for London, while Adrian DeAses and Kash Wood both went deep for Sinton. The game had a few mishaps on defense, but this strong wind definitely played a role in that.

Both teams are starting district play, so look for them to find their strides there. This London team may be young, but they are no strangers to high expectations. Same with Sinton, as they have a deep history of tradition, along with becoming a household name at the State Tournament.

CC Carroll played CC King and got a 5-4 win in 13 innings, photo from Junior Photography & Media

St. John Paul II’s Dietrich Lopez with a 16 strikeout performance on the mound vs. Kingsville King

College Spotlight - Easton Dowell, McNeese State

Easton Dowell has been heating up all season. The Redshirt Sophomore is a Gregory-Portland Alumni, and spent his entire freshman year on the sidelines. On the season, Dowell is batting .375 with 21 hits, 7 2B, 4 HR, and 13 RBI. His .375 Avg leads the Cowboys, and in Southland Conference play he's batting an impressive .423 to lead the cowboys there too.

The Cowboys are in a great position to compete for the Southland Conference Title, and winning that would mean an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Their main competitors, as it stands, are the UT-RGV Vaqueros, Lamar Cardinals, and Nicholls State Colonels. We'll see how things shake out, but keep an eye on Easton Dowell to keep leading the Cowboys on offense.

Easton Dowell, Photo by Dr. Richard MArtin of “Doc’s Shots”

Pro Spotlight - RHP JC Coronado

This week’s pro spotlight shines on Pioneer League RHP, JC Coronado. JC is a Coastal Bend native, and pitched for the Robstown Cottonpickers. He ended last season with the Northern Colorado Owlz of the Pioneer League. JC has re-signed with the Owlz for the upcoming 2025 season. Prior to this, he was signed with the Chicago Cubs, but was ultimately released last summer. Any team that signs JC is getting a high upside guy. He regularly throws 93-96 mph on the mound, and, with a little more development, can have a breakout season.

The Pioneer League is an Independent League, in partnership with MLB. In short, players hoping to get signed by an MLB club have a better chance playing in the pioneer league, rather than other independent leagues. One of the main catches for the league, is that players can only play in the league if they have less than 3 years of professional playing experience. It serves primarily as a developmental league, similar to the minor leagues.

Graphic Via JC Coronado’s Instagram Page

Notable performances from March 10th - March 15th

Teams of the Week-4A/5A/6A

6A-PSJA | 2-0

6A-Laredo LBJ | 2-0

5A-Sharyland Pioneer | 2-0

5A-CC Veterans Memorial | 3-0

5A-Victoria East | 2-0

5A-La Joya Palmview | 2-0

4A-CC Calallen | 3-0

4A-Sinton | 3-0

4A-Pleasanton | 3-0

4A-Robstown | 2-0

4A-CC Tuloso Midway | 2-0

4A-Hidalgo | 2-0

4A-Port Lavaca Calhoun | 2-0

Teams of the Week 2A/3A

3A-San Diego | 2-0

2A-Port Aransas | 3-0

2A-Premont | 2-0

2A-Refugio | 2-0

2A-Three Rivers | 2-0

4A/5A/6A Pitchers of the Week

Alice | Ale Asevedo | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 6H 2R 0ER 2 BB 4Ks

CC Calallen | Chase Lynch | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 1H 0R 0ER 9Ks

CC Calallen | Coll Carroll | 1GP 1W CG 5IP 3H 0R 0ER 1BB 7Ks

Port Lavaca Calhoun | Bo Vickery | 1GP 1W CG 5IP 1H 0R 0ER 2BB 5Ks

Floresville | Bryan Cardenas | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 3H 1R 0ER 2BB 12Ks

Harlingen | Ernesto Aleman | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 4H 0R 0ER 3BB 5Ks

Hidalgo | Raul Prishker | 1GP 1W 5IP 1H 0R 0ER 2BB 12Ks

La Joya Palmview | Mateo Garcia | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 3H 0R 0ER 0BB 8Ks

Sharyland Pioneer | Ruben Lopez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 8H 0R 0ER 0BB 7Ks

Pleasanton | Cade Segura | 2GP 2W 8.2IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 15Ks

Mission Sharyland | Fabrizo Salinas | 1GP 1W 5IP 3H 0R 0ER 2BB 10Ks

Sinton | Dylan Arriaga | 1GP 1W 5IP 1H 1R 1ER 6Ks

CC Tuloso Midway | Ozbie Buentello | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 4H 1R 1ER 3BB 5Ks

CC Tuloso Midway | Emmanuel Reyes | 1GP 1W 5IP 1H 0R 0ER 1BB 4Ks

Victoria East | Andrew Alvarado | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 3H 0R 0ER 3BB 13Ks

Victoria West | Aiden Deleon | 1GP 1W 5IP 2ER 1R 3BB 12Ks

Victoria West | DJ Martinez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 4H 2R 0ER 0BB 16Ks

Weslaco East | Eduardo Hernandez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 2H 0R 0ER 0BB 12Ks

Ingelside | Marcos Pina 2GP 1W 1SV 6.2IP 11Ks

2A/3A Pitchers of the Week

Banquete | Justin Ramirez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 1H 1R 0ER 1BB 15Ks

John Paull II | Dietrich Lopez | 1GP 1W CG 6IP 3H 1R 0ER 0BB 16Ks

Hebbronville | Derek Ramirez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 6H 0R 0ER 0BB 4Ks

Premont | Demarco Gonzalez | 1GP 1W CG 7IP 1H 1R 0ER 0BB 15Ks

Refugio | Mike Rosas | 1GP 1W CG 5IP 7H 1R 0ER 0BB 8Ks

Refugio | Matthew Perez | 1GP 1W CG 5IP 1H 1R 0ER 2BB 10Ks

San Diego | Jayden Lozano | 1GP 1W CG 5IP 4H 2R 0ER 1BB 8Ks

CC London | Noah Cervantes | 1GP 1W 5IP 1H 1R 0ER 2BB 10Ks

Port Aransas | Bostyn Wagner | 1GP 1W 5IP 2H 1R 1ER 3BB 9Ks

4A/5A/6A Hitters of the Week

Gregory Portland | Austin Vasquez | .857Avg 7AB 6Hits 6RS 6RBI 4BB 1HR

CC Moody | Ernesto Gonzalez | .714Avg 7AB 5Hits 2RS 2RBI 1-2B

Pleasanton | JJ Arrendondo | .700Avg 10AB 7Hits 4RS 7RBI 2-2B 3BB 2SB

CC Calallen | Blake Quinn | .667Avg 9AB 6Hits 3RS 5RBI 3BB 1-2B

Floresville | Bryan Cardenas | .667Avg 9AB 6Hits 3RS 3RBI 2BB 1-2B

Victoria East | Parker Baros | .667Avg 6AB 4Hits 2RS 3RBI 2BB

Mission Sharyland | Fabrizo Salinas | .667Avg 6AB 4Hits 2RS 3RBI 1-2B

PSJA | Jai Arenas | .625Avg 8AB 5Hits 1RS 4RBI 2-2B 5SB

Laredo United | .600Avg 10AB 6Hits 2HR 1-2B 4RS 4RBI

CC Calallen | Chase Lynch | .600Avg 10AB 6Hits 4RS 3RBI 4-2B

Zapata | Jay Solis | .600Avg 10AB 6Hits 3RS 2RBI 2-2B 1-3B

CC Veterans Memorial | Zach Hampton | .583Avg 12AB 7Hits RS 4RBI 1-3B

Alice | Ale Asevedo | .571Avg 7AB 4Hits 3RS 2-2B 2RBI

Alice | Emede Lozano | .571Avg 7AB 4Hits 3RS 1-2B 1HR 3RBI

Sinton | Kash Wood | .571Avg 7AB 4Hits 3RS 5RBI 1HR 1-3B 1-2B 3BB

Rio Grande City | Hiram Lopez | .571Avg 7AB 4Hits RS 2RBI 2BB 2-2B

Sinton | Clay Mitchell | .555Avg 9AB 5Hits 4RS 4RBI 1-2B

CC Flour Bluff | Colten Englert | .545Avg 11AB 6Hits 3RS 2RBI 2-2B 2-3B 2BB

Ingleside | Draiden Garcia | .545Avg 11AB 6Hits 5RS 2RBI 2BB 3SB

CC King | Grant Hoogland | .538Avg 13AB 7Hits 4RS 2RBI 3SB

CC Calallen | Wyatt Duke | .500Avg 10AB 5Hits 4RBI 1HR

Rio Grande City | Aaron Benavides | .500Avg 8AB 4Hits 3-2B 5RBI

2A/3A Hitters of the Week

Falfurrias | Ben Benavides | .800Avg 5AB 4Hits RBI 2-2B 2BB

Port Aransas | Dylan Chastain | .714Avg 7AB 5Hits 1-2B 4RS 2RBI 3SB

Port Aransas | Ty Garrett | .667Avg 9AB 6Hits 8RS 5RBI 2-2B 2-HR 3BB 2SB

Premont | Demarco Gonzalez | .600Avg 5AB 3Hits 5RS 2BB 5SB

Refugio | Laytan Garza | .600Avg 5AB 3Hits 4RS RBI 1-2B 2BB 8SB

Port Aransas | Ryan Tallent | .545Avg 11AB 6Hits 3RS 8RBI 4-2B 3SB

Three Rivers | Laythen Mayer | .545Avg 11AB 6Hits 5RBI 2SB

Hebbronville | Ruben Rodriguez | .500Avg 10AB 5Hits 3RS 2RBI 2-2B

Lyford | Diego Medina | .500Ave 8AB 4Hits 1-2B 3RS 2RBI 2SB

CC London | Christian Olivares | .500Avg 8AB 4Hits RS 2BB

Special Feature: Alice vs. CC Ray Recap by Javier Guzman

The Ray Texans visited the Alice Coyotes last week on Wednesday, March 12th, in District 29-5A action. Every district game matters, and both teams played a competitive game 'til the last out. On the mound for both teams were their aces, Ale Asevedo for Alice, and Lucas Tinajero for Ray. They didn’t disappoint, as Tinajero & Asevedo both pitched complete games and gave their teams a chance to win. Tinajero's pitching line was 6IP 6H 3R 1ER 1BB 7Ks, while Asevedo's was 7IP 6H 2R 0ER 2BB 4Ks…so if you look into their pitching lines four of the runs scored by both teams were unearned due to some costly errors.

Ray took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning after Tinajero & Raul Trevino hit back to back singles with 2 outs which brought up Carlos Luna, who hit a ground ball to Alice SS Robert Ramirez, which he bobbled and made an errant throw towards first base. Ethan Garza scored on the play to put Ray in front. Alice tied it up in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Robert Ramirez & Maddex Carrillo bunted for hits. With one out, Pitcher Ale Asevedo singled to left field for an RBI. Asevedo would once again come thru for the Coyotes as he doubled in the bottom of the 5th inning to bring in Landon Guerra and go up 2-1. In the top of the 6th inning, Ray answered right back after a double by Lucas Tinajero, with Ethan Garza driving in courtesy runner Christian Trevino on a error by 2B Nick Lopez.

In the bottom of the 6th, with the scored tied 2-2, the Coyotes loaded the bases with one out. RF Landen Guerra hits a ground ball to 1B Raul Trevino which he fielded cleanly but makes an errant throw to home plate, and the Coyotes Emede Lozano scored what would be the winning run. However Ray did not go down easily, as in the top of the 7th inning they loaded the bases with two outs and Lucas Tinajero at the plate. Tinajero grounded out to his counterpart Asevedo and the Coyotes pulled out a big district win 3-2. Asevedo not only pitched a great game but went 2-3 with 2-2out 2RBI & a double. Alice 3B Emede Lozano also contributed with a 2-3 day at the plate with a double and run scored. Ray pitcher Tinajero was 2-4 at the plate, and 2B Carlos Luna was 1-3 with an RBI and provided the big hits. At the end of the day, errors were the deciding factor in outcome of this district 29-5A ballgame, Alice moved to 2-2 and Ray bounced back on Friday afternoon with a big win vs Flour Bluff 5-4.

Special Feature: Calallen vs. London Recap by Javier Guzman

Friday night, I travelled to Calallen for a big time Non-District matchup between the Calallen Wildcats & London Pirates.

The #1 team in Class 4A vs the #5 team in Class 3A looked to be a tightly contested matchup. Early on it did not disappoint, as Calallen Junior Lefty Collier Carroll & London Senior Lefty Ethan Ortega were both dealing on the mound. While Ortega kept the heavy hitting Wildcats at bay into the 4th, the Wildcats were already up 2-0. London had runners on thru the first few innings but could not muster a run.

In the bottom of the 4th inning is when the Wildcats began to flex their muscles. Aiden Flores took a leadoff walk, then, despite the power at the plate the Wildcats have, the next two batters- Jayden Cruz, and leadoff hitter Reese Rusher- bunted for hits to load the bases. Drayson Gamez then singled to RF to bring in a run, Chase Lynch then walked to bring the score to 4-0. The Pirates then made a pitching change as Zach Garcia came into pitch for the Pirates with bases loaded no outs. Wildcats clean up hitter Blake Quinn greeted Garcia with a 2-Run double to left, followed by a 3 run Home Run that cleared the right field scoreboard by Junior Drayton Mitchell to close the inning and made the score 9-0. Blake Quinn singled in Jayden Cruz in the bottom of the 5th to end the ballgame in a run rule 10-0.

Collier Carroll was masterful on the bump pitching 5 innings allowing only 3 hits and had 7Ks, Carroll mixed his off-speed well, and his fastball had late movement that kept the Pirates hitters off balance. The Wildcats were led by Chase Lynch & Blake Quinn as they combined to go 6-7 at the plate with 3 runs scored 6RBI and 4 doubles. Reese Rusher also had a big night going 2-4 with 2 runs scored, and Drayton Mitchell ended the night 1-2 with a that big HR and 3 RBI. For London, the Olivares brothers, RJ & Christian, went a combined 2-4 at the plate & Zach Garcia was 1-1 with 3 stolen bases. Calallen seems out to prove a point this year and are looking like a team no one will want to face in district or come playoffs. Wildcats head into District play with a 15-0 record, while the London Pirates, which graduated a strong Senior class, are still competing at a high level and sit at an 11-5 record after a close loss to 4A #6 Sinton. They also seem like they will be a dangerous team come district play, as well as playoffs. They have some very young talent that is competing at a high level. Both teams are very worthy of their respective State Rankings!

Sinton Sr. Adrian Deases Rounds the Bases after hitting a home run against corpus christi london, photo via sarate films