Photo Courtesy of UTRGV Athletics
Launching the new conference with a bang, the UTRGV Baseball Team is gearing up to make an impact as the regional tournament approaches.
The Vaqueros started off the season by achieving a seven-game-winning streak, tying for the fifth best start in program history.
As of Thursday, the team held a 20-8 overall record and were 12-3 in conference play.
Head coach Derek Matlock spoke about the status of the team and its preparations going forward.
“Well we got to keep doing what we’re doing. We got to go in there and do what we’re capable of doing,” he said. “We got power in the strike zone, second strikes and played great defense and [we’ll] try to beat some really good arms. ”
Currently holding second place in the Southland Conference standings, UTRGV remains determined to secure one of the top two spots to earn the privilege of hosting the regional tournament.
Given the team’s strong performance, Matlock explained how hosting the tournament would provide a great advantage during games.
“It’s definitely a big advantage,” he said. “I’ve noticed, with our big attendance, we’re starting to get the team that comes in to play at a higher gear because they’re fired up to play in front of 6,000 people.”
He highlighted standout junior pitcher Wyatt Wiatrek for his performance this season.
“He’s got such a big-time split finger pitch. It’s really hard on hitters to get anything going,” Matlock said. “His fastball very much improved his command, his downhill. He’s really got a lot of aggression in there. He’s really going great.”
Since the season’s start, Wiatrek has garnered a 1.59 earned run average. He currently sits second in the team’s pitching stats.
Wiatrek spoke about the mentality he maintains to remain consistent throughout games.
“My mentality is kind of the same as just attack, attack, attack. It’s like a routine that I have every time I pitch,” he said. “Every time I throw the ball, it’s almost like shooting free throws. There’s really not a lot of thought process, it’s just doing the same thing, just muscle memory every time.”
He shared his enthusiasm and the hard work the team will put in to finish strong.
“I’m just really excited to see what we can do as a team,” he said. “We just keep rolling, just keep doing our thing, just keep working every day, keep getting better. I think that, [if] we go out there and execute, we can achieve our ultimate goal which is winning the conference and getting to a regional.”
The UTRGV Baseball Team will take on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Louisiana.
This is Leonardo Guajardo for Vaquero Radio.
