Houston Astros Spanish play-by-play announcer Francisco Romero, a Nogales, Sonora, native who graduated from Pueblo and earned a degree at Arizona, included a special Southern Arizona guest in his latest “Beyond the Mic” video podcast.
Rincon/University Class of 2016 graduate Alfredo Villa, who led his professional team to the Nicaragua Professional League championship last month, spoke Romero.
Villa, a 28-year-old right-hander, had strong performances in the Leones de León’s series victory over the Gigantes de Rivas in the finals last month at León, Nicaragua.
Villa, who allowed six hits and two runs, retired 11 straight batters at one point in his outing in the series. He struck out five. .
“I’m happy to have given León the chance to win,” Villa told 8 Deportivo after his game. “I think baseball is a game of mistakes; it’s difficult to expect to win all the time. You can try to be perfect in a game of mistakes, and then you have to go out there hoping to do your best.
“In baseball, there are several ways to get out of trouble. They set up a threat (in the first inning); they have a great offense, but I found a way to get out of it, improve, and give the team the chance to win.”
Villa went undrafted after three years at Adams State following his graduation from Rincon/University.
He played in the Pioneer League for Grand Junction (Colo.) and Missoula (Mont.) from 2022 to 2024.
He switched to the Frontier League last summer and played for Ottawa and Missoula.
In his four seasons of Pioneer League baseball, Villa is 40-8 with a 3.87 ERA with 428 strikeouts and 140 walks in 374 1/3 innings.
In 2023, while playing for the Missoula Paddleheads, Villa became the first Pioneer League pitcher to win the Triple Crown since 2000, going 13-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 129 strikeouts in a league-leading 108 2/3 innings.
He has become a celebrity in Venezuela on TikTok, offering pitching and life advice.
In a recent video, he states, “The best pitchers win because they stop wasting energy on things that don’t move the needle. One pitch. One decision. One moment at a time. Control the controllables — and the game slows down for you.”
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