Switching from one sport’s season to the next was never an issue for Andrews’ Brock Tijerina.
The standout athlete made an impact in four sports throughout his high school career, being a member of the varsity football, basketball, track and baseball teams.
He did it all while maintaining high grades, receiving multiple academic All-State awards for his work in the classroom.
Tijerina will finish his time at Andrews High School ranked 25th in its Class of 2022.
Andrews baseball coach Robert Morris said he was impressed with the way the young student-athlete handled his responsibilities to stay ahead of the curve.
“He actually graduated with his Associate’s degree,” Morris said. “For him to be able to do that in high school, it’s pretty amazing.”
Tijerina was able to manage his classes and practice schedules by maintaining a winning mentality.
His desire to win at everything he participated in carried him to seek the best possible outcome.
Before the end of his high school career, Tijerina was inducted into the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society.
He was also named District 2-4A MVP in baseball during the 2022 season.
“You learn certain things in sports, you go through hardships and hard times, and you go through struggles and success,” Tijerina said. “When you get into school, it kind of relates to it, just in a different aspect.
“It just helped me to study and know that if I made a bad grade, it’s okay because I got another chance.”
In the next phase of his career, Tijerina won’t need to worry about balancing too many sports as he signed to play baseball at Midland College.
He believed the program gave him the best opportunity to build his skills and work toward playing at the NCAA Division I level later on.
His preferred Division I target is Texas Tech, another school that is close to home.
Tijerina plans on pursuing a degree in kinesiology, then he’ll look to get his Master’s.
He also dreams of playing professional baseball and becoming a collegiate strength and conditioning coach down the line.
“Obviously I’m going to dream big because if you don’t dream big for MLB, why put in all this work and everything,” Tijerina said. “I’m going to dream big and do whatever I can, bust my tail and God will put me where He wants me.”
He’ll look to become a strength coach if baseball doesn’t work out because it’s something he loves to do.
When Tijerina wasn’t caught up in classes or practices, he volunteered some of his time to be a youth mentor at First Baptist Church in Andrews.
Tijerina was involved with worship and prayer at the church and he became a role model to many youth members after a bus crash shook the community Nov. 19, 2021.
“We gathered up at First Baptist and I just prayed over them and talked,” Tijerina said. “I was just there for support and whatever they needed me to do, I was willing to do it.”
Morris believed Tijerina set a great example for his younger teammates on the baseball team by consistently getting recognized for his hard work on and off the field.
The baseball coach said his catcher always had a strong understanding of the game and developed his hitting and catching skills over his high school career.
He expects the student-athlete to maintain his high level of play in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
“His hitting ability is just superb, he doesn’t strike out much and does a great job of putting the ball in play,” Morris said. “Hopefully he can continue that for Midland College.”
Tijerina said he never would have thought he would finish 25th in his graduating class, but he worked his hardest to get that spot.
“The only thing that follows work is results,” Tijerina said. “It’s a relief knowing that I’m capable of so much more, not just in sports but in the classroom as well.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
