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MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer’s first season of varsity baseball began in 2015. One year later, Corpus Christi Veterans started competing at the varsity level.
In a relatively short time, the Diamondbacks and Eagles have both established themselves as baseball powerhouses in the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend, respectively. Sharyland Pioneer advanced to the UIL Class 5A state tournament in 2019, one year after Corpus Christi Veterans accomplished the same feat in 2018.
Sharyland Pioneer senior shortstop Juan Rivera was a freshman on the Diamondbacks’ state qualifying team in 2019 and is hopeful this group can keep the current run alive.
“These four years here at Pioneer have been unbelievable. From learning how to work hard as a freshman until now, just seeing the improvement not just by me but my teammates and this program as a whole, we’ve become one of the powerhouses here in the Valley,” Rivera said at the start of the postseason. “I couldn’t be more thankful for that, knowing that we’re still in the dance and we have a good chance at making a good run, it’s just exciting.”
Sharyland Pioneer and Corpus Christi Veterans are now set to square off with a three-game series in the Region IV-5A quarterfinals beginning at 8 tonight at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. Game 2 is slated for a 7 p.m. start Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg, with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday at Hebbronville High School.
Although both schools are on the newer side, Pioneer (30-6, 13-1) and Veterans (27-9, 12-4) are plenty familiar with each other.
The two have met twice in the postseason during the 2018 and 2019 area rounds. Corpus Christi Veterans won the first best-of-three area round series 2-1 in 2018. Sharyland Pioneer returned the favor with a 2-1 series win in 2019.
They also squared off earlier this season during non-district play. The Diamondbacks and Eagles played March 12 at Sharyland ISD’s South Texas Showdown tournament with Pioneer winning 7-1.
Game 1 tickets for 8 p.m. tonight at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi are available at milb.com/corpus-christi/tickets/high-school-baseball.
Game 2 tickets for 7 p.m. Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg are available at utrgvtickets.universitytickets.com.
