After making adjustments to be better prepared this season, the UTRGV Men’s Baseball Team is ready and eager to head into its conference games.
The Vaqueros kick off conference play against California State University, Bakersfield, in a three-game series that starts at 7 p.m. Friday in the UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
One major difference this season is the addition of Head Coach Derek Matlock. Coaching is nothing new to Matlock; he was the pitching coach at West Virginia University for the last five years, where the school made the Big 12 Tournament every year.
“It’s been one of the best years of my coaching career,” Matlock said when asked about his coaching experience at UTRGV so far. “I’ve never had kids so bought into the culture and working hard every day. We have to kick them off the field. It’s been a great experience and I can’t wait to get this thing going in the right direction.”
One of the players who has “bought into the culture” is pitcher Trevelle Hill, who is confident in the team’s abilities heading into conference play. Hill is new to UTRGV as he spent his freshman and sophomore years playing for Pima Community College, located in Tucson, Arizona, where he pitched a combined 113.1 innings with 96 strikeouts.
“I feel really good about our team, both hitting and pitching, defense, too,” Hill said. “We just became a lot stronger with the teams we’ve been playing, getting experience. Also, recognizing things that we need to do better as well.”
He said much of the team’s improvements have come from its nonconference games against Texas Tech University, Texas Christian University and Mississippi State University.
“Going against top teams in the nation really gives us an edge to see where we’re at and our hitters seeing the pitching,” Hill said. “Pitching as well, seeing good hitters, recognizing what we need to work on.”
The Vaqueros start conference play at home, which Matlock said is a huge advantage for the team.
“I think it’s huge every time you get to sleep in your own bed and you get to play on a field that you take ground balls,” Matlock said.
As of press time March 9, the Vaqueros had an overall record of 7-6 in nonconference play.
After facing off against CSUB, UTRGV will hit the road to take on Utah Valley University March 29. Games can be viewed online at wacsports.com.
