EDINBURG — UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock said every first game of the season is a nightmare offensively whether due to nerves or excitement after the Vaqueros’ 3-0 win over George Washington last Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.

By Sunday, the Vaqueros (3-0, 0-0 WAC) scored 30 more runs, tagging the Colonials for 24 more hits and blasting five home runs.

“It was outstanding to see the power. It looks like our lineup is going to have some power and our stadium doesn’t play for that, to be honest, but (at) a lot of teams in our conference — Tarleton, Sam Houston State, Lamar, New Mexico State — it does,” Matlock said.

Brandon Pimentel leads the Vaqueros with a .545 batting average, while Brett Cain and DeAndre’ Shelton are both hitting .400 or better after opening weekend.

Pimentel is in his first year with the program after transferring from Mississippi State. He appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs’ College World Series championship team, but he was looking for more time on the field. Pimentel has found that and his rhythm early on with the Vaqueros with a pair of three-run homers during Sunday’s 23-3 series-finale win over George Washington.

PSJA High alum Jacob Sanchez hit the first home run of his career with a two-run shot and four RBIs on Sunday, while right fielder Freddy Rojas went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.

UTRGV’s pitching staff also got the job done behind Friday night starter Kevin Stevens. Colten Davis (1-0) pitched five innings Saturday and allowed just one run on six hits while striking out two. Sophomore Angelo Cabral followed Davis with three scoreless innings.

On Sunday, junior J.C. Ariza (1-0) struck out three and allowed one run in four innings of work.

HITTING THE ROAD

The Vaqueros are set for their first road trip of the 2022 campaign with four games on tap this weekend in Houston.

UTRGV first will face Texas Southern (6-0, 0-0) at 2 p.m., both Friday and Saturday, at Schroeder Park, home of the Houston Cougars. The Vaqueros will then take on the Cougars (1-3, 0-0) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

“Texas Southern is 6-0 and they’ve stolen about 30-40 bags. The University of Houston is outstanding, they’ve got great pitching on the mound, got some really old hitters in the middle of the lineup and they’re playing at home, so that’s an advantage for them,” Matlock said. “Anybody you play is always going to be tough, it kind of just depends on how we play.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The Vaqueros delivered a 3-0 win in their season opener against George Washington on Friday, but there was another winner for UTRGV.

A perfectly timed photo taken of the team celebrating their win during the post-game firework festivities was nominated for the NCAA Baseball Photo of the Week on Twitter. The three other nominees were from Central Florida, Stanford and Texas Tech. UTRGV’s photo won with 41.3% of the vote.

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