Pirates enter postseason with four straight district crown

By Bryan Ramos

HIDALGO — Hidalgo’s senior class is batting 1.000 when it comes to district titles in baseball.

The Pirates undoubtedly have been the Rio Grande Valley’s strongest sub-5A program in recent years and just secured their fourth consecutive District 32-4A championship under head coach Karlos Carrasco.

He’s in his 13th year as Hidalgo’s head baseball coach and also teaches at the junior high. He taught this year’s seniors when they were in middle school, and they noticed whenever they had substitute teachers in May, it was probably because the Pirates were away competing in the state playoffs.

“They would notice that I was out because we were in the middle of a playoff run, so they knew the expectations coming into it,” Carrasco said. “Now that they’re seniors and they’ve had a target on their back, they’ve seen it since they were in junior high. The way we prepare, the way we do things, I think it’s helped them to put them in a position where if any situation hits, they’re going to be ready for it because they’ve done it before and seen it in the past.”

Hidalgo has had plenty of regular season success in recent years, but the Pirates will be looking to break down the bi-district playoff barrier when they face Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway in a Region IV-4A DI best-of-three series.

Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Hidalgo High School. Game 2 will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Tuloso-Midway High School. Game 3, if necessary, will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.

Hidalgo’s Brent Ian Szczuroski (left) and Jose Loredo (right). Photos by Joel Martinez.

Senior captain Brent Ian Szczuroski, a four-year letterman, has been a staple at shortstop and on the mound for the Pirates throughout his high school career. He leads the Pirates with a .430 batting average, 11 RBIs and 27 runs scored. He’s also 3-1 as a pitcher with a 1.88 ERA and 42 strikeouts.

“It’s going to take perfect baseball,” Szczuroski said about their first-round playoff matchup. “We have to go compete, we have to play together and be united as a team. I think if we play together we can take them down.”

While the regular season ended with the Pirates on top of the 32-4A throne once again, their road to another district title came with some hurdles along the way.

Hidalgo got off to a 2-5 start to this season after a rough go at the Corpus Christi Tournament.

Since then, the Pirates have gone 16-1-1 and pulled off a perfect run through 32-4A with a 12-0 district record.

“We bounced back from that Corpus tournament, learned from it and kept this thing moving. We’re just working together, one at-bat at a time,” senior left fielder Jose Gonzalez said.

Hidalgo also has been bitten by the injury bug this season, but players have stepped up each time their numbers have been called.

Hidalgo’s Beto Garcia (left), Raul Prishker (center) and Jose Gonzalez (right). Photos by Joel Martinez.

Senior Jesus Garcia became a starter in right field and also developed into a force on the mound for the Pirates after an early season-ending injury opened a spot in the lineup.

Garcia now leads the team in innings pitched with 36, has a 4-1 record and a 0.77 ERA with 45 strikeouts.

“The only reason I was able to make it is because of these guys. I know they had my back and had all the confidence in me,” Garcia said.

Four-year letterman and senior pitcher Raul Prishker also has battled injury this season, but he’s worked to stay on the field and has produced at the same high level he has been at since his freshman season. He leads the Pirates with a 7-1 record, a 0.60 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

“It means everything to me. It’s something I love to do, to be up there and help my team win,” Prishker said.

The Pirates (18–6-1) haven’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2019, and this year will be another challenge with a tough Tuloso-Midway team in front of them. The Warriors are 22-8-1 on the year and finished second in District 31-4A, but Hidalgo’s seniors are up for the challenge.

“We have to stay focused, stay composed and try not to think too much about it. We just have to go in there and do what we’ve been doing,” senior center fielder Santiago Hernandez said.

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