The South Houston area is loaded with talented athletes who give it there all in their respective fields of play.
Welcome to the VYPE Playmakers powered by UTMB Health, where we’re highlighting five standouts from this past week who stole the headlines.
Here are the UTMB Athletes of the Month, as the Winter season wraps up, and we transition to the Spring.
Victor Coronado, Lutheran South Academy Baseball
Justin Hartojo (VYPE)
The Pioneers are off to a perfect 9-0 start to the Spring after this past weekend's tournament, which saw LSA defeat several Class 6A public school teams to begin the season with a statement.
One of the team's key contributors at-bat is none other than Texas-commit Victor Coronado. The junior infielder picked up right where he left off last season, which saw him receive a TAPPS All-State honorable mention.
However, that should be the minimum we expect from Coronado, alongside fellow play-makers -- Marcus Cantu (Texas), Roland Aguillon (San Jacinto), and Jaylen Walker -- as Lutheran South vies for their first state championship since 2021.
Madelyn Green, Friendswood Softball
Doug Brown (VYPE)
Some of the stars of 2023-24 Friendswood Softball
Friendswood begins the year at 9-3, which was highlighted by their recent 5-0 performance in the Clear Creek ISD tournament.
This team is stacked and ready for another playoff run, under the direction of new head coach Jarrod Hunter. The Mustangs feature the returning talents of Charleigh Esparza, Chloe Aldrich (Texas Tech-commit), and Baileigh Burtis (Rutgers), just to name a few.
However, the emerging presence of sophomore Madelyn Green will be especially useful for the program, as she is coming off an exceptional outing on the mound. During the aforementioned tournament, Green threw for only two earned runs in 26 innings, with 24 strikeouts to boot.
As the Mustangs prepare for district-play, that kind of performance will be vital.
Noah Farrag, Clear Lake Boys Soccer
As the regular season nears its end, Clear Lake (14-1-1; 8-0 in district) is in prime position to win the district title prior to an ensuing run in the playoffs.
We could just chalk it up to the stellar performance from the stingy Falcons defense -- which has only allowed 8 goals all year -- but plenty of their success can easily be attributed to the work done on the offensive side of the pitch.
Speaking of, senior forward Noah Farrag currently leads the team in goals with 13, which makes him a worthy candidate for District 24-6A Offensive MVP, if not the MVP in general.
With the postseason looming, this will be a team worth reckoning.
Nicholas Partida, Pearland Baseball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Per the usual, Pearland has started the regular season in front, highlighted by their recent victories over Aldine (8-2) and Clear Falls (6-2), to begin 2024 with a record of 4-2.
As expected, junior infielder/pitcher has been exceptional from the plate thus far, with a .455 batting average, 9 RBIs, 8 runs scored, and two home runs in just six games.
His ability to bat is swiftly complemented by his base-running capability, which makes the Arizona State-commit a constant threat to rack up extra-bases.
Pearland is vying for another trip to State this Spring, and they're already on the right track.
Chloe Le, Clements Girls Soccer
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
It may often be difficult to stand out in a district that features the likes of Ridge Point, however Clements has managed to do just that, as they escalate the H-Town rankings.
Under the direction of coach Robert Boagni, the Rangers currently maintain of 12-1-3 (7-1-3 in district), which should easily solidify a playoff spot in the coming weeks.
Senior forward Chloe Le has been a key component towards, as one of the team's lead goal-scorers.
With the playoffs on the horizon, keep an eye out for Le and the Clements Rangers.