Pitchers Fabian Cuellar from Weslaco High School and Danny Gidora from Harlingen South are the first two recruits for the Scorpions.

"This is a huge day for our baseball program," Scorpion head baseball coach Joel Barta said. "For us to have these two pitchers be the anchor to our recruiting class is just fantastic.  We wanted to make sure that we are building our program with winners, they both exude confidence on the field and are both fierce competitors, that is what we are looking for."

Gidora and Cuellar have been instrumental in leading their respective high school baseball teams into the postseason. Harlingen South will play in the regional finals this weekend.

"Both of these young men have a point to prove," Barta said. "They want to show the baseball world that we can build the nucleus of our program from right here in the valley.  They want to put us on the map, that kind of character will indeed spill over to their teammates."

Fabian Cuellar (pitcher)

"Fabian has a great future in our program and brings a winning mentality that will fit in well to what we are building," Barta said. "Last year Fabian flew under the radar due to a hand injury, so going into his senior year a lot people did not realize just how good he was going to be.  We strongly believe that his best pitching is in front of him.  His athleticism on the mound will only help him in his overall process of pitching at the college level."

Cuellar participated in the UTB/TSC Winter League at Scorpion Field. He was voted as a First Team All-District 32-5A Designated Hitter as a senior and was an all-district outfielder his sophomore year. In his senior year, Cuellar batted .319 in 36 games with four homers and 23 RBI. On the mound, he was 6-1 with a 2.00 earned run average and was 3-0 in the postseason.

"I'm looking forward to playing with Coach Barta," Cuellar said. "I like how they look out for the student-athletes in the athletic program. The interest the coaches showed in us in the Winter League was important to me."

Danny Gidora (pitcher)

"We are extremely excited about Danny being a big part of our future," Barta said. "At every level he has shown a great deal of success and that he has the ability to lead his teammates, from the dugout and especially on the mound.  Quality players want to have teammates that have the same goals and ambitions.  We feel that Danny will not only help us on the field but he will also being someone that future players want as a teammate.  For us to keep Danny in the Valley is paramount."

Gidora is 16-0 this year for the Hawks, and has a 1.89 earned run average, and has won all four of his starts in the postseason. He is also a solid hitter with a .321 batting average and 14 RBI, although he is expected to be primarily a pitcher at the collegiate level.

"Coach Barta's perspective is that the Valley has potential and he wants to do something constructive with UTB/TSC," Gidora said. "That was the main thing that opened my eyes. He is really high to getting the guys from the Valley to play more. I'm proud of where I'm from. If someone wants to turn around the program and do something positive for the Valley, that's where I want to be."