Out of the Park

Second Ward slugger Aaron Trevi�o scores a scholarship and prepares to leave the barrio behind

A A A Comments (1) By Mosi Secret Thursday, Jun 16 2005

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"Coach is always telling us that there's a certain point when we'll learn what this game is about -- what it actually means to love the game. Every time he said that, I thought, 'I know what he's talking about. I don't have anything to learn.' " But when he was up there struggling on the mound, he understood that indefinable feeling.

"Don't take me out of the game, Coach." And Bradford didn't, not even when the umpires, his assistants and the opposing coach asked him to. Even when the fans wanted to end the agony, he left Aaron in the game.

Courtesy of Aaron Treviño

Aaron started at East End Little League.

Daniel Kramer

Aaron also pitched in games for the Austin Mustangs.

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"I know it was hard for the fans, but that was a good thing that happened out there," Bradford says. The struggle. The camaraderie. It was the rebirth of the Austin High School baseball team's spirit.

About a week after the season ended, the coaches in the district met to come to a consensus about which player would be named the district MVP. Both the designated hitter and the shortstop from Lamar were in the running, as well as the shortstop at Bellaire and the catcher at Westside. And there was Aaron.

Despite his late-season tumble, he had more home runs and a higher batting average than all other players in the district. "He's the best player, hands down," Bradford argued. The other coaches disagreed, partly because Aaron was on a losing team. But Bradford wouldn't back down. When the coaches reached an impasse, they decided it would be best not to name an MVP at all. No award was given in District 21-5A.

The day after the coaches' meeting, Aaron finally received the documents from Alcorn State. He turned down a last-minute offer from Prairie View A&M and decided to attend Alcorn in the fall. In his senior-year season, he helped to start something at Austin. People say that in a couple of years, Lamar and Bellaire better watch out.