CONTENTS 2 Quick Facts 3 Edinburg Baseball Stadium 4 Strength and Conditioning Facility 5 Victory Center 6 The University 9 UTRGV Athletics Success 10 Baseball History 58 Campus Life 61 The Rio Grande Valley 63 UTRGV Leadership 64 Athletic Leadership 67 The Western Athletic Conference GoUTRGV.com 2 QUICK FACTS UNIVERSITY INFORMATION COACHING STAFF Location Edinburg, Texas Head Coach Derek Matlock Mailing Address 1201 W. University Dr. Alma Mater UT Arlington, '92 Edinburg, TX 78539 Career Record (Years) 0-0 (First Season) Founded 2015 Record at UTRGV (Years) 0-0 (First Season) Enrollment 28,584 Assistant Coach Russell Raley Nickname Vaqueros Alma Mater Oklahoma, 07 School Colors Orange and Gray Assistant Coach Cody Atkinson Stadium UTRGV Baseball Stadium Alma Mater Lewis-Clark State, '14 Capacity 5,000 Volunteer Assistant Coach TBD National Affiliation NCAA Division I Alma Mater TBD Conference Western Athletic Conference PROGRAM RECORDS President Dr. Guy Bailey First Year 1955 Director of Athletics Chris King All-Time Record 1,680-1,379-3 (.549) Senior Woman Administrator Farrah Manthei NCAA Regional Appearances 13 (Last, 1986) Athletics Office Phone 956-665-2221 College World Series Appearances 1 (Last, 1971) Athletics Office Fax 956-665-2261 NCAA Tournament Record 15-26 (.366) Athletics Website GoUTRGV.com 2016 Overall Record 26-28 (.481) 2016 WAC Record 7-17 (.292, 8th place) Associate Athletic Director for 2016 Record at Home 22-11 (.667) Communications Jonah Goldberg 2016 Record on the Road 4-17 (.190) SID Email [email protected] 2016 Record at Neutral Sites 0-0 SID Office Phone (956) 665-2240 Letter Winners Returning/Lost 13/13 SID Office Fax (956) 665-2261 Starters Returning/Lost 7/5 Newcomers 19 UTRGVAthletics @GoUTRGV GoUTRGV GoUTRGVAthletics Credits: The 2018 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Baseball Information Guide was produced by the staff of the UTRGV Athletics Communications Office. The publication was written and edited by Jonah Goldberg. 3 2018 UTRGV Baseball UTRGV baseball stadium Located on the northwest corner of campus, UTRGV Baseball Stadium opened its gates in 2001. Its dimensions of 325-380-405-380-325 allow for a spacious outfield and a pitcher friendly environment on natural grass. The Vaqueros have played at UTRGV Baseball Stadium since 2002, posting a 217-178-1 (.549) record at home in that time. UTRGV Baseball Stadium normally seats 5,000 fans, but can expand to 16,000 for concerts and other special events while providing parking for 3,000 vehicles. The stadium also features 10 luxury suites that come fully equipped with air conditioning, TVs, an entertainment lounge and 20 VIP seats. GoUTRGV.com 4 Strength and CoNditioning In 2014, athletics moved into a new 3,000 square-foot area strength & conditioning facility, and in 2015, with the help of donors, UTRGV Athletics purchased brand new speed and strength equipment, as well as free weight and aerobic/cardio equipment. UTRGV Athletics also acquired new power racks, platforms, benches and dumbbells. The strength and conditioning facility is exclusively for UTRGV LUCAS MONROE Eric Sparks student-athletes. HEAD STRENGTH AND ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH CONDITIONING COACH 5 2018 UTRGV Baseball VICTORY Center For today’s student-athletes, training and conditioning is a year-round commitment. Balancing the rigors of competing at the collegiate level with the demands of the classroom is one of the greatest challenges our student-athletes face. That is why it is so essential that the department of intercollegiate athletics provides our student-athletes with access to hands-on academic support. Located in the Academic Services Building, the Victory Center is an integral part of the life of our student-athletes and has a vast amount of services and assistance available. The Victory Center is structured after the principles of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, which is created to provide student- athletes with five basic components: Academic Excellence, Athletic Excellence, Community Service, Career Development and Personal Development. UTRGV has approximately 250 student-athletes, including approximately 150 freshmen and transfers, who are required to attend study hall and specially designed workshops that assist them in acclimating to college life and living away from home. Student-athletes must dedicate anywhere from six to 10 hours each week to study hall as they work toward their ultimate goal, graduation. The Victory Center provides student-athletes access to computers, tutors and other resources. The Victory Center, which is open six days a week (Sunday-Friday), houses a computer lab, a learning lab, areas for both individual and group study, and offices for the Academic Advisement Center staff. Lauren Hickey-Garcia Letty Hernandez Shannon Guy TBD Coordinator for Student-Athlete Advisor Student-Athlete Advisor Student-Athlete Advisor Student-Athlete Services Each student-athlete works with their college advisor to make sure that they are enrolled in the correct classes to graduate. The Victory Center staff verifies the classes to ensure that the student- athlete is working towards their degree, making yearly satisfactory progress and meeting grade point average requirements. GoUTRGV.com 6 THE UNIVERSITY A New University with a Long History McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, major public university of the 21st century in Texas. and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class This transformative initiative provided the opportunity in the summer of 2016. to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made UT Brownsville and UT Pan American it possible for residents of the region to benefit from The shared history of The University of Texas- the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment Pan American and The University of Texas at contributing support to the University of Texas System Brownsville goes back to 1973, when Pan American and other institutions. opened a second campus in Brownsville, which later became an independent institution of The UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and University of Texas System in 1991. Over the years, teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including the missions and the identities of these great in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University institutions have continually evolved to serve the of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The communities of the Rio Grande Valley. University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, 7 2018 UTRGV Baseball Creating America's Next Great UNIVERSITY In the Fall of 2015, the landscape of higher education in Eleven colleges and schools formed the academic the U.S. was forever changed. The University of Texas foundation for UTRGV, including: Rio Grande Valley enrolled its inaugural class of first-year students, and this region now shines to the rest of the •College of Medicine world as a global leader in higher education, bilingual •College of Health Affairs education, health education, biomedical research, and •College of Sciences emerging technology. •College of Liberal Arts •College of Fine Arts •College of Engineering and Computer Science •College of Business and Entrepreneurship •College of Education and P-16 Integration •Honors College •Graduate College •University College Every accomplishment in life begins with a choice. The bigger the choice, the bigger the accomplishment. When it comes to your potential, your goals, and your future, choosing the right university is as big as it gets. At UTRGV, we offer a learning experience that we believe UTRGV combined the talent, assets, and resources of cannot be matched. UT Brownsville, UT Pan American, and the Regional Academic Health Center, along with other resources, to create a new model of excellence in education. Here is the story of this significant journey: Students enrolled at UT Brownsville and UT Pan American were automatically admitted to UTRGV. 1933-48 Edinburg Junior College, as the only institution OUR STORY of higher learning in South Texas, experienced rapid growth in its early years, prompting administrators to pursue the first name change. 1927-33 1948-52 Edinburg College was founded as a two-year Edinburg Regional College was moved from community college governed by the Edinburg School the original four-acre site to a 186-acre District. The original building housed 200 students campus a few blocks west. During the and today is listed as a historical site in the city of 1950s and 60s, the campus was purchased Edinburg, the county seat for Hidalgo County. in parcels at a cost of $677,000. GoUTRGV.com 8 A Commitment to Academic Excellence A Hub for Innovation and Emerging Technology Our more than 120 undergraduate and graduate programs Our students find daily opportunities to innovate will let you find the major that fits your goals. Our and collaborate with faculty and global leaders in accomplished faculty will form mentoring relationships with industry, business, medicine, science, education, you. Our programs in science, technology, engineering, and and technology. Our facilities, such as the Coastal mathematics (STEM) offer ideal preparation for success in a Studies Lab, Center for Biomedical Studies, Center for broad range of emerging fields. Excellence in STEM Education, and many others offer distinctive opportunities for student research. An Ideal Pathway to Career Success A 21st-Century School of Medicine We know that the top priority of our students and their families is career success. No matter what professional field Our School of Medicine offers students the most you’re pursuing, at UTRGV we have the expert, individualized technologically advanced resources, including a instruction, the facilities, the real-world technology and 15,000-square-foot Smart Hospital complex. With a training,UTRGV and LIBRARYthe industry connections that will get you there.