Eagle Passan Tres Barrera heading to the NCAA Baseball College World Series

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

Eagle Pass native, Felipe “Tres” Barrera, III, is heading to the 2014 NCAA Baseball College World Series for Division I in Omaha, Nebraska this week as his University of Texas at Austin Longhorns swept the University of Houston Cougars in the NCAA Baseball Super Regional held in Austin, Texas during June 6-7, 2014.

Barrera is a freshman starting catcher for the Texas Longhorns Baseball Team under legendary Head Coach Augie Garrido. Barrera has been a key team member of the Texas Longhorns in his inaugural collegiate baseball season while enjoying a successful season on the field.

Barrera is batting .275 in 60 games played this season in 222 At Bats with 61 Base Hits including 13 Doubles, 2 Triples, 5 Home Runs, 35 RBIs, Scored 31 Runs, and has a defensive fielding percentage of .982 as the starting catcher for the Texas Longhorns. In post-season play in the Regional and Super Regional tournaments, Barrera is batting a sizzling .292 going 7 for 24.

Barrera was named to the All-Houston Regional Team (May 30-June 2) going 5 for 15 with two doubles, two RBIs, scored two runs, and and three walks in aiding the Texas Longhorns defeat arch-rival Texas A & M Aggies 8-1, Rice Owls 3-2, and the Texas A & M Aggies again 4-1 in the Championship Game to advance to the Super Regionals this past weekend against the Houston Cougars in Austin.

In the Super Regional at Austin, the Texas Longhorns swept the Houston Cougars 4-2 and 4-0 to advance to the NCAA Baseball College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska for a record 35th appearance and the first since 2011. The Texas Longhorns will face the University of California at Irvine Anteaters on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at the College World Series in their first game. Bracket play is double elimination while the two teams advancing to the Championship will play a best of three series to determine the 2014 NCAA National Baseball Champion.

Barrera will be in every Texas Longhorns play of the College World Series behind the plate as catcher and is expected to contribute to the Texas Longhorns College World Series success through his offensive batting and base running skills.

Barrera graduated from Mission Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas in 2013 where he was a standout catcher, shortstop, and pitcher with the Rattlers baseball team as well as the starting quarterback for the Rattlers football team. He was named a first team All-State shortstop during his junior year and third-team All-State catcher his senior year, as well as named a Louisville Slugger first-team All-American catcher his senior year. He also was named the District 30-5A Most Valuable Player and the All-Valley Most Valuable Player in Baseball during his senior year. Barrera also excelled in football where he played four years, garnering District 30-5A Most Valuable Player and the All-Valley Most Valuable Player in Football as Quarterback during his senior year, as well as received Honorable Mention All-State in Football as a Quarterback his senior year.

Tres Barrera is the son of Eagle Passans Sylvia and Felipe Barrera, Jr., who now reside in the Rio Grande Valley. To his credit, Barrera proudly lists Eagle Pass as his hometown in the official Texas Longhorns Baseball Information website and program. Barrera is the first Eagle Passan to play in the NCAA Baseball College World Series. He is also a Major League Baseball prospect.

The Eagle Pass Business Journal congratulates Tres Barrera on his Texas Longhorns baseball success and wishes him the best at the College World Series and in his future endeavors.