The Moose Jaw Miller Express have resigned one of their top pitchers from the 2023 Western Canadian Baseball League season.
Left-handed hurler Matt Vasquez will make his return to Ross Wells Park this summer after putting together a solid rookie season that saw the San Antonio product among the team leaders in most pitching categories.
Vasquez started 11 games for Moose Jaw and pitched 49.2 innings, recording a 3.99 earned run average while striking out 40 and walking 25. His five wins were second-most on the team, and Vasquez capped the campaign with a .260 opponent batting average and 1.53 walks and hits per inning pitched.
Vasquez had a pair of quality starts (six innings pitched or more with three or fewer earned runs allowed) in addition to four outings where he went five innings and allowed three runs or less.
The 6-foot-0, 215-pound senior is in his fourth season with the University of Texas A&M Kingsville Javelina, and is off to a solid start with the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference squad.
With the Javelina’s season having started back on Feb, 2, Vasquez has made five relief appearances and allowed a single run over 4 ⅔ innings while currently boasting a 1.93 earned run average with a 0.87 WHIP.
Texas A&M Kingsville currently has a 9-9 record, including 7-9 in conference, and will see their regular season run until Apr. 21 followed by the Lone Star Conference tournament from May 3-11, South Central regional from May 16-18, Super Regional from May 24-25 and the NCAA Division II championship June 1-8.
It all means that unless Vasquez and Texas A&M Kingsville have a brilliant playoff run, it’s likely he’ll be in the Moose Jaw Miller Express line-up on opening day.
Moose Jaw opens their 56-game season on Friday, May 24 when they travel to Weyburn to face the Beavers. Moose Jaw’s home opener is the following night against the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
You can keep an eye on how Vasquez and the Javelina are doing this season at www.javelinaathletics.com and follow along with the Moose Jaw MIller Express on Facebook and at westerncanadianbaseballleague.ca/.
