RIO RANCHO — McCurdy High School baseball coach Ian Maestas looked like a kid on Christmas morning this past weekend.
He and his staff of assistant coaches Robbie Garcia and Alejandro Martinez were last minute replacements to be in the dugout at the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Class 1A-3A Red-Green All-Star Baseball series, and they got the chance to be involved in three of their seniors’ final competitive game on the diamond.
“It was absolutely fun,” Maestas said, adding that on May 27, he was requested as a replacement. “I couldn’t have been happier and more excited to get that call. It was a pleasure to be around this. You know, the top 40 players in the state from 1A, 2A and 3A. Nothing but exceptional play from these guys all weekend.”
Two of his players, Tino Salazar and Jeremaya Roybal, were part of his Red squad, while Carlos Garcia was in the opposing dugout donning the Green.
“That was different, for sure,” Garcia said. “It was cool. Interesting. It was like a cool experience. You’re playing more higher caliber players all the way around. So that made the game more fun.”
And Garcia had the last laugh on his buddies as Green recovered from a Friday shellacking to sweep a doubleheader Saturday and claim bragging rights.
He earned himself a free meal out of it, as well.
“We made a bet on the game,” Garcia said of a friendly wager he had with Maestas. “Two out of three. He was telling me he owes me.”
So while lunch is on coach, it’s well worth it, Maestas said.
“Ah, man, it was bittersweet,” he said. “I would have loved to have been able to have him on my team for a few more games.”
For Roybal, getting to wear the Bobcats uniform one last time was rewarding.
“I heard a lot of hype about it, coming into it, and it met the expectations for sure,” he said. “So it was a great time. Last game with my teammates, as well. So it was cool.”
Despite the outcome, it was fun playing against Garcia for once, Roybal said.
“Man, I was not used to it, and I was just going against him and having competition with each other. It was just, it was awesome,” he said,
And it was particularly rewarding to have his coach around one last time.
“He gave me a phone call when I was at work one day, and once he told me, I was ecstatic,” Roybal, who plans to attend the University of New Mexico and try to walk on to the football team as a receiver, said. “You know, one last game with him, and it went well, so I’m happy.”
Salazar said he had a blast playing in the game, particularly with the Bobcats coaches there in support.
“He’s been my coach for five years now, so it’s fun. It meant a lot,” he said. “Man, had a great time. Everyone’s the best of the best. It’s great seeing everyone. How fast it, how much faster the game is, you know? So everyone’s hitting faster, everyone’s pitching faster. It’s great to see.”
Seeing Garcia in the other dugout, however, was definitely odd.
“I wanted to win bad just to beat him, you know,” Salazar said. “But being out here getting to play some baseball and having a weekend of just baseball fun was great.”
Being able to coach such a collection of baseball talent was a coach’s dream, Maestas said.
“It was fun, yet challenging, because they’re all studs, so finding the right places to put them and when to put them in the game, and who’s hot, going with what hand and what they’re feeling and the challenge of not knowing these boys,” he said. “I spent an hour-and-a-half before our first game together, and at some points you’re like, uh, Joseph, no Damien, I don’t even have a Damien. It was kind of challenging, but it was exciting.”
And sharing the experience with his fellow Bobcats coaches and players made it special.
“Just being able to share these moments with my coaching staff,” Maestas said. “The whole thing in general is probably going to be the moments I take away the most.
Note: Española Valley tennis players Owen Silva Vigil and Damien Gallegos also played in the Red-Green series this weekend, with Silva Vigil donning the green and Gallegos the red.