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La Joya pitcher has received attention from pros
LA JOYA ? Miguel Peñ¡ ©s not sure where his baseball career will take him after he graduates from La Joya in 2009, the junior pitcher is just glad he has some time before he makes the most important decision of his life. ?I don?t really want to think about it until I come to that point,? said Peñ¡¬ who will be mulling a decision to go pro or attend college when next season is over. ?I am thinking I want to go to pro,? Peñ¡ ³aid. ?I know a lot of people want me to go to college but I want to see where I will be drafted before I make that decision.? Coyotes coach Reuben Farias said he has fielded calls from such major league teams as Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Kansas City about his standout player. ?Some of these scouts want to know when he is pitching so that they can come out and see him,? Farias said. ?I don?t really like to tell him because I don?t want it to get to his head.? Farias said the advice he has given Peñ¡ ¡bout his future is that an education should come first. ?I know he can play Division I or play for a good Division II team,? Farias said. ?He has been blessed with a gift. I think if it is right for him and his family to be drafted, then he should do it. But I think it has to be the right situation.? Peñ¡’³ situation at the moment is not too bad. He has helped the team to a 10-1 record and the top ranking in the Rio Grande Valley. The pitcher is only 1-1 on the season but has recorded three saves and has started only once. Farias said he has tried to give his young staff some experience early in the season, but Peñ¡ ·ill be the ace when District 30-5A play gets underway next week. ?One of my goals is to try and reach the state championship,? Peñ¡ ³aid. ?I think we can do it. One of my main goals before I graduate from here is to be a (high school) All-American.? With the numbers he has put up, not only on the mound but at the plate, being an All-American might not be such a lofty goal. Last season, the District 30-5A co-MVP and All-Valley outfielder batted .323 with 26 RBIs in only 99 at-bats.On the mound he was 11-2 with a 0.59 ERA. ?He?s pretty humble,? Farias said. ?As long as his work ethics continue to be as they have been, I think he will continue to have success.?
