Photo Courtesy UTRGV Athletics
Now competing in the Southland Conference (SLC), the UTRGV Men’s Baseball Team is ready to showcase its skills of the new and experienced athletes this season.
Last season, the Vaqueros played in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and finished with an overall record of 29-25 and 15-15 in conference play, ultimately finishing the conference in seventh place out of 11 colleges.
Head coach Derek Matlock expressed his commitment in having the team compete for a championship.
“Last time the school’s been in regionals was in 1986, that’s a pretty long stretch,” Matlock said. “Last year, we hadn’t beat Texas for 54 years and beat them. So, we’re going to go shoot for a championship. That’s what we’re in it to do. If you don’t shoot for something up there, and your expectations are lower than that, it’s really hard to ever reach that. So, we’re all in here for one purpose and that’s to win a championship.”
He highlighted the importance culture has on keeping the athletes motivated on the field.
“Our culture is about being very accountable, blue collar and committed and being selfless,” Matlock said. “Those things are what we are built on. That’s what we built this program from. So, all I do is keep them accountable to the culture.”
According to Matlock, baseball is not just a physical sport; it is also a mental game where players’ mindsets and attitudes play a significant role in the team’s performance.
Matlock discussed the difficulty in maintaining a calm and focused mind when in the field.
“Baseball is not a football-type game where you get all pumped up and go tackle somebody,” he said. “It’s a fine-muscle-motor sport, and you got to be real calm and concentrate. … So, we’ll just try to keep calm and try to just stay in the routines and save the process.”
Graduate pitcher Angelo Cabral and graduate shortstop Isaac Lopez are some of the standout players leading the team forward.
Last season, Cabral struck out eight players on opening night before having to miss the remainder of the season due to an injury. Now, he is back to open for the Vaqueros first season game, which took place Friday.
He shared his enthusiasm in getting back into the field and competing in a new conference.
“It’s going to be really exciting,” Cabral said. “We have a lot of good bats. We got some good pitchers coming out of the pen. I mean, we have a good whole week in rotation. I really think we have a lot of potential this year, especially taking on this new Southland Conference. We’ve just been waiting all fall just to face somebody new.”
He discussed his healing journey and the process he undertook to remain in top-physical condition.
“I have a great PT [and] I had a really good recovery, especially for my doctor who was able to help me,” Cabral said. “Just going hard on PT [and] making sure the arm is getting strength and really taking care of that part of it. Making sure my nutrition and everything’s out, being able to hold my weight, hold my view low so I could perform for a full season.”
Lopez is beginning his fifth year with UTRGV and his experience is now a driving motivator for the new athletes.
He described his goal in mentoring the underclassmen and helping them become the best version they can be.
“It is my last year here, any knowledge that I have [and] that I’ve learned throughout my years, I just dish it on them,” Lopez said. “If I see somewhere where I can help them out, I’m not afraid to tell them. Hopefully, it’ll better their career, not just them as a player but help them better as a person”
He discussed his experience at the Northwoods League and how it prepared him to tackle the upcoming season.
“Northwoods is awesome,” Lopez said. “Your team in the Northwoods is, like, literally your brothers because you’re with them every single day. It’s an absolute grind. The Northwoods prepares ballplayers for minor league ball for sure, and you just build awesome relationships with the staff there and especially the players. You meet a bunch of different players from different places and it’s really good competition too. So, you’re going to have to step up your game and just enjoy the time there.”
The Men’s Baseball Team opened its first three-game series last weekend against Southern Illinois. Results are available at goutrgv.com.
This is Leonardo Guajardo for Vaquero Radio.
