The El Paso High Varsity Baseball team made history this season by winning their first district championship since 1986. With a dominant 9-1 victory over Canutillo, the Tigers officially claimed the title. For the seniors and coaches who’ve been working toward this goal for years, it was a moment they won’t forget.
“Feels great,” sophomore Dalin Beltran said. “I mean, it’s been a while, and it’s been a long time coming, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
The Tigers wrapped up their regular season with a win over Canutillo, finishing with a seven-game win streak and heading into the playoffs on a high note.
“From the very start, I had a strong opening day,” senior Gabriel Garduno said. “I’d say it’s been getting better every day.”
Players pointed to better pitching, improved hitting, and tighter team chemistry as some of the biggest reasons for their success this season.
“We improved tremendously in hitting, which led us to get more runs and come back from games that felt out of reach,” Dalin said.
But it wasn’t just about performance on the field. The team also accredited how much they’ve grown since the start of the season, both as players and as teammates.
“In my very first game, some of our players almost got ejected and our coach was very upset,” Gabe said. “We’ve matured a lot since then.”
Senior Santiago Serrano expressed struggles during the beginning of the season.
“Honestly, we didn’t start off the way we wanted to,” he said. “But where we’re at now is really good.”
One game players won’t forget was an 11-inning win against Canutillo earlier in the season.
“It was a four-hour long game,” senior Braedon Beltran said. “We played hard, back and forth, and managed to come out on top just through teamwork and love for each other.”
As they moved into the playoffs, the Tigers were hoping to carry their momentum further. But their season came to a close in the area round after two tough losses to El Dorado in a best-of-three series. Still, players are proud of how far they made it.
“It’s been kind of my breakout year,” Braedon said. “It’s been really beneficial for me and the team, and a real confidence booster.”
For many players, especially the seniors, the end of the season came with mixed emotions.
“It’s a lot,” Gabriel said. “Most of our team is made up of seniors, so it was a nice send-off.”
While their playoff run came up short, the legacy this team leaves behind is larger than a set of post-season games.
“Area is something El Paso High Baseball hasn’t [reached] in more than 30 years,” Braedon said. “That’s something we all wanted to change.”
Santiago said the team’s run also helped inspire younger players coming up behind them.
“It’d be really good, especially to show the younger JV players that it’s possible,” Santiago said.
Throughout the season, one thing stayed the same. Their connection off the field.
“We’ve grown together as brothers,” Gabriel said. “We pretty much have each other’s backs all the time.”
That sense of trust helped them stay focused through the highs and lows of the season.
“Right now, it’s perfect,” Braedon said. “We found that meshing, and we all worked together to push through everything.”
Off the field, the friendships were just as strong.
“All of us are really close,” Santiago said. “We hang out on the weekends, and we’ve gone to school with each other since we were younger.”
Even though the playoff run came to an end, the district title and the way this team came together will stick with them.
“It feels good to be a part of and to contribute to team success and failures,” Dalin said. “Because you can’t have success without failures.”
