Beyond the diamond

For UTRGV Baseball Team junior infielder Christian Sepulveda, baseball means maturity and family tradition.

Sepulveda joined the Vaqueros in 2019. Since his arrival, Sepulveda has played an important role for the team (18-10, 4-2). He made a hit in the bottom of the 10th inning, which led UTRGV to win 3-2 against the University of Northern Colorado on March 28.

He is the son of Elvin Morales Sepulveda, a former Seattle Mariners player and nephew of David Ortiz, a former Boston Red Sox All-Star. Along with them and other family members, Christian shares the tradition of playing baseball.

The person who inspired him to play and practice “The King of Sports” was his dad. Sepulveda also said that he has been playing for almost 18 years. He began playing when he was living in the Dominican Republic and later when he lived in New York City.

Sepulveda said his whole family inspires him.

“Honestly, baseball runs in my family,” he said.

Sepulveda graduated in 2016 from the High School of Graphic Communication Arts. The process he went through to become a Division 1 player began when he played with the Galveston College Whitecaps, according to goutrgv.com.

In his freshman year (2017), he hit .231 (15-for-65), made two home runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs and 12 runs in 31 games played. During his sophomore year (2018), he hit .270 (34-for-126) with six doubles, two triples, two home runs, 23 RBI and 19 runs scored in 43 games played, according to goutrgv.com.

Baseball is considered “The King of Sports” because it’s a sport in which you need to use a lot of ingenuity, stay focused and, obviously, have good strategy. This sport is more atypical than other sports, because, sometimes, the team that has the ball is the one being defended, when normally, the opposite happens. Besides that controversy, the truth is baseball is a sport with many surprises.

Sepulveda expressed what he enjoys the most about baseball.

“Just being able to be out there and have fun and do something that I always wanted to do,” he said.

Sometimes, a game of baseball can become challenging, as occurred on March 28, when UTRGV was dominating the UNC Bears 2-1, but in the top of the ninth, the Bears tied the game, so they played an extra inning. In the bottom of the 10th, with runners on third and second base, and more than a thousand Vaqueros fans watching, Sepulveda connected a hit that gave UTRGV the victory.

Asked what makes him nervous in a game, like the one they played two weeks ago, Sepulveda replied, “Every moment is a nervous moment, because you want to help your team as much as possible. And you want to do the best in each situation. So, maybe the top of the ninth.”

After being reminded of the March 28 game, he added, laughing, “or in the bottom of the 10th.”

Like other student athletes, he has to deal with schoolwork, social life and the responsibility of doing the best in each practice and game.

Sepulveda shared how he manages these aspects in his career.

“I would say we really don’t have a social life, but we really try to just balance school and baseball as much as possible,” he said. “As the title says, we are student athletes, so you have to take care of school to be able to play on the field.”

Sepulveda’s jersey number is 12 and the reason he wears it is because his father wore it when he was a professional baseball player. So, he is trying to follow him.

He was also asked which team he would choose if he were to sign with a Major League Baseball team.

“Honestly, the Seattle Mariners,” Sepulveda said. “My dad played for them. So, I want to follow his footsteps and play for them and finish what he started.”

He also was asked what professional player he wants to imitate.

“I would say, Derek Jeter,” Sepulveda said. “Maybe, Manny Machado.”

Sepulveda is a business marketing major.

“I feel like business is a really good major because you need to be financially stable after baseball and even if baseball doesn’t work out, you need to be able to manage yourself and be able to account for your future,” he said.

Baseball has taught him three important aspects that carry into other areas of his life: “Maturity and responsibility and accountability.”

Sepulveda shared his future goals, which are to help the Vaqueros get the Western Athletic Conference Championship and the NCAA Championship. But also, he aspires to become a professional player.

“My major goals are to really, just hopefully, become a professional baseball player, play in the major leagues, and become someone in life and achieve anything and everything I want to do,” he said.