From Arizona to the the Valley

Baseball brings two brothers to UTRGV

Life is a complicated journey, and it often takes us to many different places. But being able to count on someone you trust can really help. 

Baseball, like life itself, is no exception. And we can see that case with CJ and Tyler Valdez, brothers whose baseball journey has found both of them playing their final seasons of NCAA Division I baseball at UTRGV.

CJ Valdez is a graduate student who plays third base for the UTRGV Baseball Team after previously playing second during his collegiate career. He has shown plenty of power at the plate, clubbing 10 extra base hits en route to a .906 on-base plus slugging in 19 games, all of which he started.

Tyler Valdez is a senior right-handed pitcher who plays alongside his brother on the team. He has pitched a total of 17 innings in five appearances, including two starts this season.

Both brothers hail from Chandler, Arizona, where they grew up together. They are both graduates of Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, where they both played high school baseball.

Tyler Valdez said that his father played baseball as well, and both brothers attribute their family and their father as their biggest inspirations to start playing.

“My family is a big baseball family and I’ve kinda been playing since I was a little kid,” CJ Valdez said. “And I never really stopped.”

Tyler Valdez said baseball is big in Arizona.

“Baseball is a year-round sport for us because we don’t have snow or anything like that,” he said.

After graduation, CJ Valdez went to Purdue University in Indiana, playing two seasons as an infielder for the Boilermakers from 2022-23. Tyler Valdez elected to play closer to home at Arizona State University. 

They would also play against each other during junior collegiate play.

The brothers then decided, as they were both in their final years in college, that they would play their final season in Division I together. That decision would bring them to UTRGV.

“We just decided [that] we could play one more year together and that would be fun,” CJ Valdez said. “And so, we came here [to UTRGV].”

Both CJ and Tyler Valdez have faced challenges throughout their careers. CJ has dealt with injuries. 

“I’ve dealt with an injury bug a lot in my life,” CJ Valdez said. “[It’s been] fighting through injuries and keeping my head held high. It’s baseball, you’re gonna fail and you gotta learn how to accept that, move on, and play day to day.”

_{CJ Valdez swings at the ball during the game against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Feb. 28 at the UTRGV Baseball Stadium on the Edinburg campus. PHOTO COURTESY VICTORIA ALONZO}

Tyler has struggled recently on the mound.

“I haven’t been doing good recently,” Tyler Valdez said. “I gotta make an adjustment. That’s gotta be the biggest challenge is that I got one year left to make something happen.”

In the face of these challenges, the brothers continue to rely on each other during their playing careers, from their origins at Perry High to the long road of Division I baseball.

“We followed each other even when we weren’t playing together,” CJ Valdez said. “We’re always there for each other and we’ve been close since we were little and playing with each other since we were little.”

 Tyler Valdez said, “We play different positions, so it’s kinda hard to be right there. I don’t swing the bat and [CJ] doesn’t pitch, so it’s a little bit different. It’s just pretty mutual, we know that we’ve got each other, so it’s OK.”

UTRGV Baseball head coach Derek Matlock said it has been “exciting” to watch CJ and Tyler Valdez play at the Division I level. 

“They have the skill set to do it,” Matlock said. “They have the ability to do whatever they want in baseball, they’re that good. It’s kinda been fun to watch brothers that play together and have played together for a long time.”

After the 2024 season, both CJ and Tyler Valdez hope to fulfill their aspirations and play baseball at the professional level. Tyler said getting to the professional level was something that “we’ve been working toward our whole lives.”

“We both have aspirations to play at that level,” CJ Valdez said. “But if we don’t make it, then at least we tried and gave it all we had.”