By
Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin
With more than half of its roster comprised of new players the FIU baseball team has such a different look this coming season that you might need to hand out "Hello, My Name is" stickers at the FIU ballpark. Since there are so many new faces, from now until Opening Day on Feb. 16 when Missouri comes to town for a three-game series, we'll profile the newest Panthers as well as the returning FIU ballplayers.
Javier Valdes, C/INF, Sophomore
What are your thoughts on your freshman year last season?
JV:
I thought last year we had a solid team and we showed signs and sometimes we showed different things. I'm excited for this year because we have a good team again. I did my best to help the team but it wasn't what I wanted. I'm striving for bigger goals this season.
What is your best baseball experience?
JV:
I think hitting my first college home run [March 18 vs. Charlotte]
. I came close several times before I hit the first one. I had several that went foul before I finally hit one.
Give me an example of a game or a moment that makes baseball such a great game.
JV:
Last year in the World Series when Astros centerfielder George Springer dove for the ball in center field and missed it. But then he came up in his next at-bat the following inning and hits a home run. That was special because you always hear people say "make up for your mistakes". As soon as he made an error he came right back and hit a home run to put the Astros right back in the game.
Tell me something away from baseball about you that someone might find interesting?
JV:
I like to read. I like self-motivation and life books. My favorite book is "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. I like it because in each law he uses examples during the Renaissance. How people used the laws back in the day. Law number one is "Never outshine the master".
FIU coach Mervyl Melendez says about Valdes:
"Javy has made an outstanding transition to catching. We know what he can do offensively. We are very impressed with his catching especially toward the end of the fall."
2018 FIU PANTHERS
Logan Allen
Diandre Amion
Derek Cartaya
Jose Garcia
Kobe Lopez
Andres Nunez
