SAN PERLITA — The literal lack of a home field advantage hasn’t stopped the San Perlita from competing in a tough District 32-2A.
Without a baseball field of their own, the Trojans have to make the 14-mile trek west to Raymondville to play all their home games.
“We are blessed to have a baseball program here in San Perlita, but due to limited space we don’t have a baseball field out here,” said Trojans head coach Marco Mungia. “So we have called Raymondville Veterans Park our home away from home for the past four seasons. Our boys face the adversity of practicing on a practice field at school then going to a ballpark on game days.
“Lots of teams practice where they play. They know their fields back and forth, but our boys play wherever they have an opportunity and they come out to compete no matter what.”
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Trojans find themselves just three games behind the highly coveted fourth seed.
“We’re playing in a very baseball-savvy district so reaching a playoff spot in the 32-2A is a difficult task for us smaller schools, yet we have manage to keep games close and even keep playoff dreams alive,” said Mungia. “With five games to go, if we can go 4-1 and get a little help from others, we still have a chance at the fourth seed.
“Our motto here is ‘believe’ because everything is impossible until someone does it. We are hoping to get it done.”
And motivation is in abundance at San Perlita. Should the Trojans reach the postseason, it would be the first time in eight years that the team achieves such a feat.
A few players that have done their best to make it happen are junior utility player Noah Olivarez, senior Jamie Zaller and freshman James Herrera.
“Noah plays pitcher, shortstop, first baseman and catcher,” said Mungia. “He was brought up playing ball. I can put him anywhere on the field and he will make the play I need. He is batting .407 and leads the team in hits and RBIs. He also leads the team in strikeouts.
“Senior Jamie Zaller plays center fielder and is a leadoff batter with speed. He leads the team in stolen bases, fielding percentage and catches every pop fly that goes his way. My other bright spot has been freshman James Herrera, who has filled in at second base and is just exciting to watch defensively. He leads the team in put outs and in double plays.”
