In a news release today, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its baseball season-opening series against Lamar University has been canceled.
According to the news release, a Tier I member of the Lamar baseball program tested positive for COVID-19.
A Tier I member, according to the NCAA, consists of student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists, medical staff, equipment staff and officials.
Both teams were scheduled to play a three-game series that included a Saturday doubleheader after the previously scheduled season-opening bout on Friday was modified due to the threat of bad weather and to converse energy according to the department.
The last game the Vaqueros played took part in was on March 11, 2020, when they beat Texas A&M Corpus Christi 4-1 at home in the South Texas Showdown.
The 346-day return to the diamond will have now increase to 348 days for the Vaqueros as their next scheduled game is at 4 p.m. Monday on the road versus the Baylor Bears in Waco.
The team will not return to the UTRGV Baseball Stadium until 1 p.m. March 5 as they host a three-game series against Northern Illinois University in the Al Ogletree Classic.
The Vaqueros come into the 2021 season as defending Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Champions after finishing with an 11-7 record and winning eight out of their last 10 games in the 2020 campaign that was cut short due to COVID-19.
According to the WAC preseason coaches’ poll, UTRGV alongside Grand Canyon University and Sacramento State were selected to finish first with a total of 73 points with the Vaqueros receiving four out of 10 first-place votes.
Three Vaqueros also cracked the 2021 preseason all-conference team that included graduate catcher Conrado Diaz, shortstop Christian Sepulveda and first baseman Joseph Impeduglia at the utility/DH position.
Twitter: @Radio_Rubio
