By Andrew Jimenez
Pulse Staff Reporter
The newest sports on the Palo Alto campus are Women’s Softball and Men’s Baseball, which just started this Fall 2019. The longest-running sports on campus are Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Volleyball and Men’s Soccer, according to PAC Athletics Director Shanea Allen.
Jose Ramirez volunteered to coach the Men’s Baseball team because he’s always had a passion for baseball.
“I do it to give the kids something to look forward to throughout the year. It also keeps their grades in check,” said Ramirez.
Teams that the Palominos’ baseball team will play this fall are Coastal Bend, San Antonio Fire Department and the San Antonio Police Department.
“Fall is a warmup season for us to get ready for our spring season,” said Ramirez.
In the fall, the team will play at Missions Baseball Academy, Beeville, Southeast Legacy in Von Ormy and Austin. The number of players that the Men’s Baseball team has on the fall roster is 34. The men’s baseball team will split into two teams, black and teal, in the spring, said Ramirez.
“The reason I am playing baseball at Palo Alto College is because ever since I was little, I had a dream of playing at the college level. When I heard that Palo Alto College was having a baseball team, I thought it was a good opportunity to play the game I love,” said Giovanni Sandoval, a sophomore Mass Communication major and the outfielder for the team.
The ultimate goals for the Men’s Baseball team this season is to have a good fall season, for the student athletes to keep their grades up and also keep up with their family life, said Ramirez.
“The team that we want to play the most is Coastal Bend because our chances of getting scouted,” said Ty Washington, a sophomore Kinesiology major and the catcher for the team.
The Men’s Baseball team and Women’s Softball team are currently club teams.
“The sole purpose is to get this college to a Division 3,” said Ramirez. “As of today, we only play other club softball teams in the surrounding areas.”
Palo Alto College has partnered with Southeast Legacy High School.
“We use the softball fields at Legacy High School for all of our practices and regular games,” said Chris Velasquez, head coach for the Women’s Softball team. The current roster for the women’s softball team is 19 players.
“My main reason I coach is that there is no two-year college with a softball program in the San Antonio area. This is a huge opportunity to really put the Alamo Colleges District on the map,” said Velasquez.
“Currently there is no fee to come to a game at Legacy High School. Although the exhibition game, Palominos vs. SAFD at UTSA, may have a small gate fee as this is not our regular field of play,” said Velasquez. The game at UTSA is on Nov 16.
Leslie Moreno, a freshman who is the middle infielder, second base and shortstop for the team, said, “I decided to play softball at Palo Alto College because it was a perfect second opportunity to continue doing what I love while getting an amazing education at such a low price. “By the end of the season, I hope to further my skills as a player, but also lay an amazing foundation for the future of the softball program at Palo Alto College.”
For more information, contact Men’s Baseball Coach Jose Ramirez at (210) 660-9528 or Women’s Softball Coach Chris Velasquez at (210) 260-8716.
PAC Student Media 