Cardinals’ Aguilar honored by LSC

After an outstanding freshman season, Nora Aguilar (5-foot-5) returns as the ace of the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball pitching staff. The Harlingen High graduate earned second-team All-Lone Star Conference South Division honors by going 12-7 with a 2.73 earned run average in 2007. She led the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts (103).

Aguilar won eight of her last nine games, posting a 2.20 ERA with six complete games in eight starts covering 63 innings. She struck out a career high 12 batters, allowing two hits in a 3-2 victory over Prairie View A&M.

TAMUK opens its season against Delta State at 11:15 a.m. Feb. 1 at the St. Mary’s tournament in San Antonio. Other Rio Grande Valley players on the roster are Lilly Galvan (5-8), a freshman outfielder from San Benito, and Ma’lia Guerra (5-6), a freshman shortstop from Falfurrias.

Basketball News

La Joya alum Adan Montalvo (5-11, 172) continues to excel for TAMUK. A sophomore guard, Montalvo transferred to the Javs this season from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and leads the team in scoring with a 12.7 average.

TAMUK is 8-1 at home this year with Montalvo leading the way, averaging 15.3 points per game. The Javelinas have been tough on their home court in recent years, with a 52-13 record in four seasons. The Hogs have won 31 of their last 35 games at home and play host to Tarleton State at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Jaret Von Rosenberg (6-2, 185) scored 12 points for the Hartford Hawks of the American East Conference in their latest game. The Hawks were beaten by Albany 73-63, falling to 8-11, 2-2. Von Rosenberg has started seven of the 16 games played by Hartford and ranks third on the team with a 10.4 scoring average.

A Sharyland High alum, Von Rosenberg played two seasons at Collin County Junior College before transferring to Hartford, which was scheduled to play Maine on Monday and faces Stony Brook on Thursday.

Football News

Brownsville Hanna alum Daniel Lopez (5-11, 230) concluded his career at Baylor in the fall. Lopez, who graduated from Hanna in 2003, joined the Bears’ squad five years ago as one of 25 walk-ons. A reserve linebacker, Lopez was one of two walk-ons from the original group still on the Baylor roster.

Lopez, who redshirted as a freshman, and the other walk-on were awarded athletic scholarships as seniors. Lopez graduated in December with a degree in anthropology with a concentration in forensic science. He minored in criminal justice and started graduate studies in sports management at Baylor in January.

Track & Field News

Two former Mission High athletes will compete for the Lindenwood Lions this spring. Keith Hernandez, a sophomore, and Anthony Saenz, a junior, are the only Valley athletes listed on the roster. Hernandez will compete in the sprints, and Saenz will participate in middle-distance events.

The pair will be joined by Keith’s younger brother next year. Noe Hernandez recently signed a scholarship offer with Lindenwood and will conclude his senior season at Mission High during the spring.

Pikey Rodriguez is a longtime sportswriter in the Rio Grande Valley. His local college roundup appears in The Monitor every Tuesday from August through May. To submit information about a local athlete call the sports department at (956) 683-4402.