*Note – The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Baseball Teams and All-District Lists will be published online and in print Sunday, July 31.
MISSION — No team across the Rio Grande Valley has won more playoff games over the past four years than the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks.
From the time seniors Juan Rivera and Oscar Serna stepped in as freshman starters on the D’Backs 2019 state-qualifying team, the program has earned nine playoff series wins, one district championship and posted a 110-28 record during that span.
After a dynamic senior season for the duo leading Sharyland Pioneer into the regional final round of the playoffs, Rivera and Serna are The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Baseball Co-Players of the Year.
“Ever since our freshman year, me and Oscar knew that we were going to have to lead the next few years and that’s exactly what we did,” Rivera said. “We knew we could trust each other and that we had to set the table for our team. We knew if we set the table, we could get going and we would get W’s.”
“It’s a blessing to receive this honor and it’s better to have this with my best friend,” Serna said. “We’ve been working since our freshman year to get here. I told him our freshman year, ‘We’re going to have to lead this team and do great things,’ and sure enough that’s what happened.”
Rivera and Serna proved to be unstoppable forces at shortstop and third base, respectively. Rivera also served as the team’s leadoff hitter, with Serna batting right behind him at the No. 2 spot.
Together, they helped lead the Diamondbacks to a 33-10 record overall, a share of the District 31-5A championship and into the regional finals as seniors during the postseason. Pioneer secured playoff series wins over Brownsville Porter, Corpus Christi Moody, Corpus Christi Veterans and Buda Johnson before ultimately falling to eventual state champion Georgetown in the Elite 8.
Rivera led all baseball players in Texas among all classifications with 62 runs scored and ranked fourth in the state with 42 steals. He posted a .442 batting average with 53 hits, 25 RBIs, six doubles, four triples, two home runs and 29 walks for a team-high .571 on-base percentage in 42 games.
“They always say speed kills and speed is a big factor of the game. It can change the game in a big way and I take a lot of pride in it because that’s one of my weapons I could use against anyone and not everyone else has,” Rivera said. “I just tried to get up there, get on-base for my team, score and luckily that’s what happened.”
While Rivera was amongst the best in the state on the basepath, Serna was elite in the batter’s box. The Pioneer third baseman finished with 47 RBIs, the sixth-highest total in Texas among all classifications. Serna batted a team-high .458 with 49 hits, ,13 doubles, five home runs, 15 walks and a .719 slugging percentage.
“I step into that box thinking I’m going to win. I tell myself I’m going to win the battle against the pitcher and there’s no one better than me,” Serna said of his approach at the plate.
There was no secret to Pioneer’s success during Rivera and Serna’s four years with the program. It was daily deposits working hard at practice that translated into the Diamondbacks establishing themselves as one of the premier programs in the state. Pioneer finished the 2022 season ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, according to Texas High School Baseball’s final top 25 poll.
“It takes a team that likes to work. Our last four years, we’ve been a team that grinds day in and day out,” Serna said. “We’re selfless, we strive for excellence and try to be excellent in everything we do. We did all the little things right and that’s why we were so successful.”
While their days of suiting up for the Diamondbacks are done, their time as teammates isn’t over yet. Both Rivera and Serna signed to play college baseball at UTRGV this upcoming season.
“It’s like a dream come true having a brother by my side. It’s one of those friendships that will always last and you always have a bunch of memories to look back on,” Rivera said. “I’m glad that we’re going to keep making memories on-and-off the field and we’re going to keep competing and fighting for a title for UTRGV now.”
