Athlete of the Week: Mateo Garcia

PALMVIEW, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive, Palmview’s Mateo Garcia took the mound.

The senior came up clutch against New Braunfels. He only gave up one run and struck out nine batters across seven innings.

“I came out this outing, and I felt everything was working for me,” said Mateo Garcia, Palmview Senior Pitcher/Infielder. “Every pitch I was throwing, I was throwing them there on the corners, and it felt really good to come out for my team.”

The Lobos are in the midst of a historic run, making the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

“Great team chemistry right now, and defense, offense, pitching, it's all coming together right now, and the most important thing that we're doing right now is just BTF, belief, trust, and faith,” said Garcia.

Mateo, a varsity player since his freshman year, helped lead the Lobos to four straight district titles.

The rest of Texas is getting a taste of what the Valley has known: Mateo is a problem.

“I think so,” said Garcia. “I mean, I know that every year, I mean, they always ask, 'Oh, he's still here,' like they can't believe it. But, I mean, I hope I gave that impression to everybody.”

His coach, Rick Garcia, points out a key characteristic that Mateo possesses.

“Having him as a senior, and that type of leadership the other seniors follow, and they want that, that fighting them to win also, and that helps them, helps the team, helps everybody, all the way around,” Garcia, Palmview Baseball Coach, said.

Having saved his team’s season, Mateo now looks to extend it against Smithson Valley.