By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
After a series of starts and stops, it’s finally time for the Del Rio Babe Ruth 13-year-old all-star team to finally hit the road for its first tournament of the summer.
Comprised of players from Del Rio and Brackettville, the team was initially supposed to make its summer debut at the state tournament, but due to a lack of teams that tournament was canceled and the squad advanced to the regional tournament in Mobile, Ala., July 14-17.
But then came the forecast of poor weather and that tournament wound up being pushed back one more week, meaning Del Rio wouldn’t depart until Wednesday, July 20. Their first game is scheduled for Friday morning at 10.
No matter. Manager Jay Mendoza said the team has been ready since they were initially put together once the regular season ended.
“It all started with the kids playing in the Babe Ruth league this year for 2022. They were hand selected by the coaching staffs from the league. You have the 14 that are sitting here and they’re doing great right now. They’re going to be out there representing Del Rio,” Mendoza said.
The team includes Abel Aguirre, Francisco Buitron, Roberto Cuevas, Ivan Gonzalez, Eli Gutierrez, Luis Guiterrez, Angel Hernandez, Jakob Mendoza, Jesse Mojica, Nathen Mojica, Ayden Patiño, Roman Ramirez, Eleazar Romero, Eric Salinas Jr., and Aadan Sanchez. Mendoza is the manager, and his coaches are Miguel Aguirre, Christian Gutierrez and Raul Sanchez.
The team has been working at least five days a week, about three hours each day, getting ready for the tournament. It’s not going to be easy. They’ll have to drive 13 hours to Mobile and then take part in an abridged tournament that will feature a pool play game and then a single elimination bracket format.
“Their determination and their motivation to want to be out here, playing ball, has kept them ready to compete,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza admitted it’ll be different for a lot of his players because this will be the furthest many of them have ever traveled to compete and it’ll be the furthest many of them have ever been from home. The challenge for Mendoza and his coaches will be keeping the kids ready and focused on the tournament to come.
“We have to keep them loose and ready. That’s a really big challenge so far. Motivating the kids, making sure they have a healthy diet and getting them to sleep right and just staying focused and mentally getting into the game and wanting to get out there and hustle out there and represent Del Rio and make an impact,” Mendoza said. “Probably less than one percent of these kids right here will never play out of state again. It’s a huge honor for them and a source of pride. All of this waiting and then traveling and stay motivated … it’s difficult but at the same time every coach out here loves it.”
Catcher Aadan Sanchez is one of those players that shows how much he truly loves the game. Despite his small stature, Sanchez is a vocal leader on the field, directing his defense from his spot behind home plate. A ballplayer since he was “three or four,” Sanchez has only been as far as San Antonio to play but has traveled to Oklahoma for a catchers camp.
“I like being able to get the ball every pitch,” Sanchez, whose favorite player is Willson Contreras, said, expressing why he loves to play catcher.
Of course playing baseball in the summer in Del Rio means more than shagging balls and hitting it hard. It also means dealing with the one thing teams can’t control – the summer Texas heat. Mendoza said he looks at that as an advantage as compared to other teams in the tournament.
“We practice in this 100-plus weather from 5 to 8 nearly every day and they do just as good as if it were 60 degrees. I think that’s an advantage. It brings the toughness out of the kids. They also have a lot of heart and respect. There’s no backtalking out here. They have that trust in the coaches and themselves and that’s a huge advantage.”
“One thing we’ve stressed to them is discipline. They’re representing the small town of Del Rio, so they’re going out there and they’re going to be respectful. The attitude they’ll carry will be one of pride in representing the state of Texas and the city of Del Rio,” Mendoza added.
Many of the players on the 13-year-old team play travel ball, and most of them play with the same team. That kind of familiarity is one thing center fielder/pitcher Eli Crispin enjoys.
Having played baseball since he was old enough to play tee ball, Crispin said baseball is just a fun sport. Now he gets to travel out of state to play alongside a group of young men he considers his friends.
“It’s amazing. It’s like a dream. It’s going to be fun, and hopefully we’ll win,” Crispin said.
Crispin admits that he’s a confident person, and he said that is something he hopes his teammates carry with them.
“You have to just be focused and be confident. That’s a big thing because if you lack in confidence then you’re going to do bad,” Crispin, whose favorite player is Mike Trout, said.
—
Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
