Laredo Morning Times All-City Baseball Awards

Most Valuable Player – United Jr. P/1B Omar Cervantes

Cervantes was the Offensive Player of the Year last season and jumped up to MVP after a stellar year both on the mound and at the plate. He was 8-4 with a 1.77 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while striking out 51 in 75.1 innings to lead United’s rotation. He also hit .368 (39 of 106) with 23 RBIs, 22 runs, nine doubles, three triples, a home run and 19 walks.

Pitcher of the Year – Alexander Jr. Marcelo Perez

Perez consistently shut teams down all season suffering just one loss on the year. He finished 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA and recorded 59 strikeouts in only 46.2 innings.

Offensive Player of the Year – United Jr. SS Fernando Benavides

Benavides had team and city highs of 48 hits and 33 runs. He hit .397 while also driving in 23 runs, hitting eight doubles, drawing 12 walks and stealing four bases.

Newcomer of the Year – United So. OF Julio Taboada

Taboada was a consistent factor both defensively and at the plate for the Longhorns. He hit .304 while finishing right behind Benavides with 31 runs. He also had 24 RBIs, 10 walks and five steals.

Freshman of the Year – Alexander P Paco Hernandez

Hernandez had the mentality of an ace all season despite just joining the high school ranks. He finished his freshman season 6-2 with a 2.86 ERA and 28 strikeouts.

Coach of the Year – Alexander’s Fernando Lemus

By virtue of locking up a district title, Lemus had the edge in a tightly contested race for Coach of the Year. In just his second year as head coach, Lemus won the honor for the second straight season. The Bulldogs won a fourth consecutive outright district title going 24-9 overall and 11-3 in District 29-6A while earning a seventh straight trip to the regional quarterfinals.

Pitcher

First team: United Jr. Omar Cervantes (8-4, 1.77 ERA, 51 K); Alexander Jr. Marcelo Perez (5-1, 3.12 ERA, 59 K); United Sr. Alejandro Treviño (5-3, 3.05 ERA, 68 K).

Second team: Martin So. Jan Cabrera (2-0, 2.16 ERA, 41 K); Alexander Fr. Paco Hernandez (6-2, 2.86 ERA, 28 K); United South Jr. Jesus Paez (3-3, 2.64 ERA, 29 K).

Honorable Mention: Cigarroa Jr. Alfredo Flores (0-4, 2.80 ERA, 35 K); LBJ Jr. Manuel Gamboa (2-7, 3.11 ERA, 33K); Alexander Jr. Albert Gonzalez (2-0, 5 saves, 2.57 ERA, 20 K); Cigarroa Jr. Bo Paez (3-6, 4.63 ERA, 37 K); United So. Homero Saldivar (4-2, 2.14 ERA, 33 K); Nixon Jr. Felipe Vasquez (1-4, 4.58 ERA, 23 K).

Catcher

First team: United Sr. Beto Cervantes (.402, 33 RBIs, 17 R, 14 BB, 5 HR, 5 2B).

Second team: Nixon So. Antonio Buentello (.441, 13 RBIs, 16 BB, 8 2B).

Honorable Mention: Alexander Sr. Jesus Abrego (.233, 15 BB, 14 R, 10 RBIs); Martin Sr. Robert Roman (.362, 15 RBIs); Cigarroa Jr. Alfredo Sepulveda (.318, 17 RBIs, 5 R).

First baseman

First team: United Jr. Omar Cervantes (.368, 23 RBIs, 22 R, 19 BB, 9 2B).

Second team: Martin Jr. Jason Maldonado (.333, 14 RBIs, 12 BB, 10 R).

Honorable Mention: Alexander Sr. Ramon Ballina (.233, 23 RBIs, 7R); Nixon So. Emiliano Dominguez (.284, 8 RBIs, 7 R); United South So. Erik Ruiz (.317, 13 BB, 9 RBIs, 7 R).

Second baseman

First team: Martin So. Raul Cuello (.323, 13 R, 6 RBIs).

Second team: Nixon Jr. Felipe Vasquez (.343, 11 R, 7 RBIs).

Honorable Mention: LBJ Jr. Ivan Orozco (.907 FP); United So. Alan Villarreal (.300, 24 R, 13 BB).

Third baseman

First team: United So. Derick Christman (.273, 22 R, 17 BB, 16 RBIs).

Second team: Alexander Jr. Andres Santos (.280, 20 RBIs, 15 BB, 10 R).

Honorable Mention: United South Sr. Andrew Garcia (.344, 14 RBIs, 8 R); Nixon So. David Palacios (.316, 11 R, 9 BB, 7 RBIs).

Shortstop

First team: United Jr. Fernando Benavides (.397, 33 R, 23 RBIs, 12 BB, 8 2B).

Second team: LBJ Sr. Miguel Mejia (.456, 11 R, 10 RBIs).

Honorable Mention: Martin So. Jan Cabrera (.324, 18 RBIs, 17 R); Nixon Sr. Joe Fasulo (.308, 21 R, 20 SB, 14 BB, 6 RBIs).

Outfield

First team: United South Jr. Enrique Gonzalez (.367, 17 R, 13 BB, 1.000 FP); Alexander So. Memo Sauceda (.359, 16 R, 15 RBIs); United So. Julio Taboada (.304, 31 R, 24 RBIs)

Second team: Alexander Jr. Marcelo Perez (.278, 26 R, 16 RBIs, 12 BB); Nixon Sr. Joey Rodriguez (.359, 10 RBIs, 9 BB, 8 R, 8 SB); LBJ Sr. Alan Salazar (.414, 15 R, 8 RBIs).

Honorable Mention: United Sr. Eduardo Garcia (.268, 27 RBIs, 9 R); Cigarroa Fr. Ricardo Huerta (.254, 15 RBIs, 7 R); United Jr. Christian Ibarra (.303, 17 R, 13 RBIs); United South Sr. Ulises Nuñez (.321, 11 RBIs, 10 R); Alexander Jr. Benkis Ramirez (.292, 14 R, 10 RBIs, 10 BB).

Utility

First team: Cigarroa Jr. Genaro Cardenas (.462, 14 R, 10 RBIs, 8 2B, 2-1, 2.51 ERA, 24 K).

Second team: LBJ Sr. Irving Mares (.365, 13 RBIs, 10 R, 7 2B).

Honorable Mention: United Jr. Manuel Chapa (1.000 FP, 2-1, 3.17 ERA).