Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced on Monday that senior catcher/infielder Conrado Diaz and graduate student right-hander Max Balderrama Jr. of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team is the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts in UTRGV’s four-game sweep of NJIT over the weekend.
Diaz paced a UTRGV offense that outscored NJIT 48-3, hitting .615 (8-for-13) with five doubles, 11 RBI, six runs scored, a .722 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage while making starts at catcher, first base and third base. He recorded at least three RBI in three games, including a career-high-tying four RBI in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Diaz’s best game was on Sunday when he tied a WAC record by hitting four doubles in a 10-2 win. Diaz is the fourth player in WAC history to record four doubles and the first since 2018 when Northern Colorado’s Dean Lawson did so against Regis. Diaz is the second WAC player to hit four doubles against a Division I opponent, as Arizona State’s Gary Atwell did so against UTEP in 1971. Diaz ended up one double shy of the NCAA record of five, a feat that has been accomplished eight times. Diaz finished that game a career-high-tying 5-for-5.
Balderrama made his first-career start in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, recording his first complete game and shutout in a 19-0 win. He racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts in a career-high seven innings while scattering four hits and one walk.
UTRGV is now on a seven-game winning streak, marking the second year in a row the Vaqueros have accomplished such a feat.
UTRGV looks for its first eight-game winning streak since 2017 when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday at 7 p.m. as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive #BeatCorpus t-shirts. Kids 12 and younger will get to take a swing at the Islanders piñata. Fans can take advantage of Wacky Wednesday pricing that includes buy one, get one free tickets for adults. Current UTRGV students receive free admission to all UTRGV home games with a student ID. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans purchasing their tickets online prior to game day can save up to $2 per ticket. Gates open at 6.
 announced on Monday that senior catcher/infielder Conrado Diaz and graduate student right-hander Max Balderrama Jr. of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team is the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts in UTRGV’s four-game sweep of NJIT over the weekend.){kind=link}