The Houston Astros drafted Angel Ibanez, 2009 Sharyland graduate and University of Texas Pan American junior third baseman, Wednesday.

UTPA Bronc Head Coach Manny Mantrana said Ibanez has come a long way since he started playing for the Broncs.

“Angel has a lot of God-given talent,” Mantrana said. “He’s really come a long way, mentally and physically, since he was a freshman.”

Read more: Sharyland graduate drafted by Astros

La Joya High School alum Clarissa Navarro is making a name for herself on the national collegiate level. Clarissa was selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division 1 All-Region Team. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Arkansas and plays shortstop for the Razorbacks. Her selection to the South Region’s second team was announced late last week.

Read more: La Joya High School Alum Garners National Attention

In what Head Coach Bart Bickerton expected to be a rebuilding year for his young team, the Sharyland Rattlers overachieved their way to the class 5A regional semifinal round this past weekend against the #2 ranked Tigers from Corpus Christi Carroll.  However, after winning 27 games in a row and compiling a 31-3 record this season, the Rattlers fell short against the Tigers despite stellar pitching performances by Eric Gutierrez on Friday and Tres Barrera on Saturday.

Gutierrez, who gave up only one hit in six innings on Friday, had a no hitter going into the fifth inning against the Tigers when he found himself facing a bases loaded with one out situation as a result of three walks, one of which was intentional.  That was when Carroll got what turned out to be their only hit of the game with a single to right-center field that brought in two runs.  An errant throw home allowed the third run to score and allowed the base runner, who would later score on a wild pitch, to advance to third.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Sharyland’s Mario Vela broke up Carroll pitcher O’shea Dumes’ no-hitter when he reached base on a single.  However, it was too little too late for the Rattlers as they failed to mount a rally and lost game one of the best-of-three series, 4-0.

Read more: Tigers’ wake-up call ends Rattlers’ dream season

At 5’ 7’ inches tall and 230 pounds, sophomore Felipe Valencia does not stand out at all among his fellow La Joya Palmview High School students when he walks the halls. But he stands out in a big way when he steps into the shot put circle, rests the 12-pound steel ball against his neck and throws the shot. The state silver medalist stands tall as one of the best shot putters in the State of Texas.

In a sport in which size and strength are definite advantages, Felipe found himself competing against athletes almost a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier when he advanced to the state shot put finals this month.

Palmview Track Coach Daniel Lombrana pointed this out when he said, “When we went to state, the gentleman that beat Felipe was something like 6’ 6” tall and weighed 325 pounds. Then I looked at the kid from Eagle Pass that beat Felipe at regionals…and that guy was 6’ 6” and 350 pounds.”

Inspired by his sister Irasema, a 2004 La Joya High School graduate, who qualified for regionals in shot put for the Coyotes, Felipe first took up the shot put in seventh grade. His immediate success motivated him to keep at it.

Read more: Palmview’s Felipe Valencia earns silver at State

Friday night the Sharyland Rattlers struck early and often as they routed the Eagle Pass Eagles 20-0 in 5 innings in game one of the class 5A regional quarterfinal round of the state high school baseball playoffs.  Saturday the Rattlers again defeated the Eagles, 9-3, to take game two of this best-of-three series. This became the third playoff series in a row that the Rattlers have swept, remaining undefeated in the playoffs.

In game one Friday the Rattlers plated the only run they’d need to outscore Eagle Pass in the first inning when Jorge Maldonado hit a solo homerun. Not to leave anything to chance, however, Sharyland went on to score 9 runs in the third and five runs each in the fourth and fifth innings to blow out the Eagles and to set up the possibility of yet another playoff sweep.

Read more: Rattlers defeat Eagle Pass, remain undefeated in playoffs

It took extra innings, but the Sharyland Rattlers swept the Harlingen South Hawks two games to none in the area round of the class 5A state playoffs last weekend. The Rattlers managed to overcome fielding errors in game one and base running errors in game two to advance to the regional quarterfinal round  against Eagle Pass this weekend.

GAME ONE

In Friday’s game one, the Rattlers took a 1-0 lead over the Hawks in the second inning when sophomore first baseman Joey Esquivel hit a Bobby Arias pitch out of the park over the left field fence.

Read more: Rattlers sweep Hawks in area Round