Andre Del Bosque

Andre Del Bosque came into the game with a laundry list of injuries – a hurt elbow, damaged and torn shoulder ligaments, some ailments dating back to high school and others ending in surgery.

It wasn’t long before the idea of stepping down from baseball crossed the 22-year-old’s mind, but the love of the game overcame his doubts.

“I really want to get to the professional level because I love baseball,” said Del Bosque, a University of Houston-Victoria biology senior and Jaguar pitcher. “I’ve had thoughts about quitting, but I’ve come all this way.”

Despite his setbacks, the Victoria resident says he is on the right track to “living the dream.” But if the big leagues aren’t in the cards, Del Bosque has a back-up plan and one he can still accomplish through UHV – a career as a physician’s assistant.

“I want to be a role model, especially for kids,” Del Bosque said.

Already, he gives pitching lessons to children ages 5 to 14 and has been involved with The Heat, a select youth baseball program funded by Heat Fitness in Victoria, as well as one-on-one training with players at Riverside Stadium.

“I know some of them look up to me, and I want to give them an example of being a good student athlete, making the right choices and not doing things to jeopardize that,” he said.

Like his course work, life on the field takes patience and composure, and it’s starting to pay off.

Before joining UHV, he played at Temple College. This past year, a handful of scouts watched his games. During the summer, Del Bosque played on a team in Canada’s Western Major Baseball League and caught the attention of a few more professional teams. Now, it’s just a matter of staying healthy, he said.

Del Bosque already has made five pitching appearances for UHV this season. He is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA. He has struck out 16 batters and only walked two.

He plans to finish his degree at UHV and still has another year of baseball eligibility.

“I love it here, especially playing in front of my hometown,” Del Bosque said.