Former UTRGV infielder Diego Ramirez will attend training camp with the Aguilas de Mexicali, which is part of the Mexican Pacific League, along with 10 other baseball teams.
The Mexican Pacific League’s season begins in October and ends in December. The camp begins Sept. 12 and the UTRGV alumnus is among 13 infielders who will compete for a position in the Aguilas de Mexicali roster, according to Ramirez.
Asked how he felt about being invited to camp with the pro baseball team from Baja California, he responded that he is feeling “pretty good.”
“I’ve been working pretty hard all my life to be given this opportunity, so I’m taking it whenever I can,” Ramirez said. “But, yeah, I feel pretty good, to be honest.”
Ramirez, a native of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, who earned a degree in multidisciplinary studies, started 86 of 88 games he played at UTRGV during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He posted 47 RBI and 57 runs, two home runs, nine doubles and three triples. His batting, slugging and on-base averages were .256, .323, and .336.
Asked if there was any pressure to perform well at the Aguilas camp, he replied, “Not really. I just do whatever I can, do my best and if something good happens, it’s gonna happen. I just do whatever I can, practice hard every day and play hard.”
Ramirez said he has a “nothing-to-lose” mindset.
“Some guys are way more experienced than me,” he said. “Just play hard and go have fun. … Whenever I feel like I put too much pressure on myself, honestly, I kind of do bad. That’s my mindset. Go have fun. That’s it.”
Ramirez said the camp will be competitive.
“I [know] some guys that play in the big leagues already,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna go because, you know, the teams sometimes don’t give them the permission to go play in the winter. … I know it’s gonna be hard. They have more experience than me. … I just wanna play hard. I’m hungry for opportunity. … I know I can do it, but just need to get my mind right.”
Ramirez said some of the sacrifices he has made include leaving his home at 16 or 17 years old and not being able to finish high school in his hometown.
“I moved to another city,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot of places. The [Rio Grande] Valley was, like, my fifth place, and this is going to be, like, my sixth place where I’m going to live.
“I feel like I’m making a lot of sacrifices. You know, my family, sometimes I miss them. It’s kind of hard to be alone sometimes.”
Ramirez also said he has gotten used to being away from his family and friends.
“Every time that I go to a place to start over again, new people, new places, new coaches,” he said. “Sometimes I kind of get tired, but I just get a breath and I reset my mind.”
Ramirez attended Howard College in the northwest Texas city of Big Springs. He said before that he could not play because he did not speak English, so he took English classes and then moved to Big Springs.
UTRGV Baseball head coach Derek Matlock said Ramirez loves baseball.
“He … is just a really good baseball player,” Matlock said. “Just a really savvy baseball player.”
Matlock said Ramirez was hit in the face by a fastball in 2021, his first year at UTRGV, and underwent surgery. Within seven weeks he was back on the field playing.
“He is an incredible competitor, really tough kid,” he said. “His gloves skills and his arms skills are outstanding. He can play short, second, or third. He is just a joy to be around, just a guy that really loves the game.”
UTRGV Baseball assistant coach Robert Martinez said Ramirez played for him when he was head coach at Howard College.
“I recruited him there, and then I had him there,” Martinez said. “And then a couple years later, I brought him over here when I came over. … Just a great
kid, man. Great kid. I mean, [we’re] talking about a kid that came as a freshman in college without speaking
any English and forced himself and learned the language and got a degree out of it.”
Asked how far Ramirez has come, he replied, “A long way.”
“I mean, I got him when he was, I guess, basically a kid and now he’s a man, you know,” Martinez said. “Basically … I’ve seen him kind of grow a little bit.”
