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Five UTRGV baseball players competing in collegiate summer leagues
- Updated: July 23, 2020
Special to LFN
EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team announced on Wednesday that five student-athletes, including Mercedes alum and catcher Oliver Closner IV, infielder Jacob Flores, Vela alum and outfielder Aaron Galvan, PSJA alum and outfielder Trey Guajardo, and infielder Christian Sepulveda, are competing in collegiate summer leagues.
Closner is playing for the Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plains League. Flores and Guajardo are competing with the Badlands Big Sticks of the Expedition League. Galvan is playing for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs, also of the Expedition League. Sepulveda is playing for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League.
The Coastal Plains League began a 32-game season on July 2 that is scheduled to run through Aug. 14.
The Expedition League season began on June 26 and teams are scheduled to play 52 games through Aug. 19 with a championship series set for Aug. 21-23.
The Northwoods league season began on July 1 and is scheduled 48 games through Aug. 20 followed by playoffs Aug. 21-22.
As a junior this past season, Closner’s best game came on Feb. 29, when he went 2-for-4 with a double, a career-high tying three RBIs and one run scored to lead UTRGV to a 7-4 victory over South Dakota State.
In 2019, Closner hit .284 with five doubles, one home run, 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored while reaching base at a .419 clip in 37 games (32 starts).
Closner has made one appearance for the Tobs so far, drawing two walks and scoring twice.
In his best game this past season, Flores went 2-for-2 with two RBIs against NJIT on March 6. As a freshman in 2019, Flores hit .244 with six doubles, two triples, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 39 games (33 starts) while primarily playing at first base.
Flores is currently 1-for-8 with a run scored in two games for the Big Sticks.
Galvan posted a .526 on-base percentage while hitting .308 in nine games this past season. As a freshman last year, Galvan hit .234 with five doubles, one triple, 29 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He reached base at a .400 clip in 45 games (42 starts) while primarily playing right field.
Galvan is currently 5-for-16 (.313) with one double and three runs scored in four games as an outfielder. He also made his first appearance on the mound since high school, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing one hit.
As a freshman this past season, Guajardo made two starts in right field while playing in five games, going 2-for-9 with two walks, three RBIs and two runs scored. As a senior at PSJA in 2019, Guajardo hit .365 with three doubles, two triples, 17 RBIs, 13 runs scored and a .515 on-base percentage.
Guajardo has yet to see action for the Big Sticks.
Sepulveda got off to a good start during his senior season, hitting .297 with a .382 on-base percentage, six doubles, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored while starting all 18 games at shortstop. He ranked 81st in the NCAA and fourth in the WAC in doubles. In 2019, Sepulveda played both shortstop and third base, hitting .274 with 11 doubles, nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 53 games (52 starts) en route to All-WAC Second Team honors.
Sepulveda is currently 6-for-21 (.286) with a home run, two walks, seven RBIs and five runs scored in seven games.
