The 2000 Riverside baseball team was one to remember

Jim Melendez coached a handful of great baseball teams at Riverside High School. But the 2000 team will always be one that may be the most memorable.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Rangers’ trip to the Class 4A Final Four.

“The 2000 team was a great group of individuals,” Melendez said. “They spent time together at lunch, they hung out with each other after school and they were a strong group. Every day they came ready to get better, they supported each other.”

Under Melendez, the Rangers were a power in the city and state, winning 19 district titles in a 21-year span and making the playoffs 28 times in 32 years. The Rangers also made three trips to the Elite Eight (or regional finals) in Melendez’ tenure. Melendez retired with 749 victories. 

“In the mid 1990s we knocked on the door of making the Final Four in Class 5A,” Melendez said. “The 2000 team was and will always be special.”

The Rangers won the District 2-4A title in 2000, then went on to beat Fabens, Pampa, Frenship, Wichita Falls Rider and Weatherford in the playoffs.

The Rangers swept Fabens, Pampa and Weatherford and beat Frenship and Wichita Falls Rider in three games. At the time, Riverside was the first baseball team from El Paso to reach a Final Four since the 1992 Coronado Thunderbirds. 

Eventually, the Rangers lost in the state semifinals to eventual state champion, Corpus Christi Calallen. 

“We were just tough kids, we weren’t the biggest kids around but we had a lot of heart and determination,” said Stephen Poblano, who was the team’s starting third baseman that season. “We fought hard, we had lots of confidence in ourselves. We wanted to win for our community, for our school, for our teammates. We had a good pitching staff, our defense was solid and we always seemed to come up with big hits when we needed to. Different people always stepped up.”

The Rangers had a great pitching staff led by three left-handers — Beto Romo, Joe Villareal and Omar Ferniza. Romo recorded 118 strikeouts that season and won 10 games, Villareal won 10 games and Ferniza had five wins. 

“I was the hard throwing one, Beto was great at hitting the corners and Johnathan was tremendous with his off-speed stuff,” Ferniza said. “With our pitching staff, we felt like we had a chance in every game.”

The team was loaded with other quality players such as infielders Stephen Poblano, Eric Amador and Robert Hood, catcher Andy Valdez and outfielder Adrian Simental, outfielder Sammy Mariscal, designated hitter/pinch hitter Ralph Villa and utility player Joseph Galindo. 

“Riverside has a lot of tradition and we knew about the successes of past teams,” Romo said. “Coach Melendez and the staff were always positive with us and believed in us. As the season and as the playoffs went on, we began to believe even more in ourselves We had some tough, close playoff games but in those we believed in each other.”

The Rangers clinched a spot at the Final Four in Round Rock with a 6-4 win in 10 innings against Weatherford in Seminole. Amador had a key hit late in the game that brought in two runs to clinch the victory. In the series' first game, Riverside won, 1-0, behind Romo's performance on the mound. 

"Going into the season, we had some questions because we had lost some really good seniors from the 1999 season," Simental said. "But by district you could see the trajectory we were on. We had some ups and downs but we came together and accomplished so much. We had to win every weekend just to get to the Final Four. But it was worth it. We enjoyed the ride. And I owe a lot coach Melendez. He helped straighten me out and get me on the right path in life. I'll always appreciate him for that."

Melendez, who retired in 2016, has a genuine love for the 2000 Riverside baseball team and a genuine love for all of is teams at the school. 

"It was electric at that time at Riverside," Melendez said. "The athletic teams were doing great. The students were really into it. I remember having to give the speech to the team after we lost in the state semifinals. It was as tough a speech as I've ever had to give. I had a lump in my throat the size of a baseball. We accomplished so much that season, we didn't want the season to end. That team will always be special."

More: El Paso students headed to play on the college level

More: Franklin basketball player to get shot at Division I level

Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.