Category: Natalia Mustangs & Lady Mustangs

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Mustang track and field team had more than its share of ups during their 2026 season. Included in those good times were five athletes that earned the opportunity to compete in the District 27-28 Class 3A Area Meet on April 16 in Jourdanton.
R.J. De La O, Jimmy Ayala, Matthew Rodriguez, Jordan Rodriguez, and Jacob Camacho worked their way past district competition before closing their season at Area.
De La O and Ayala combined to score points for the Mustangs.
Congratulations to all Natalia coaches and Area-Qualifying athletes on a memorable 2026 season!
Team rankings
1st Randolph 140, 2nd Lytle 102, 3rd Marion 100, 4th San Antonio Cole 86, 5th Jourdanton 64, 6th Hondo 48, 7th Great Hearts Northern Oaks 27, 8th Cotulla 22.5, 9th YMLA 19, 10th Crystal City 4, 11th Poteet 3, 12th Natalia 2.5, 13th Great Hearts Monte Vista 2.
Mustang results
Field Events High Jump—T5th De La O 5’8 Pole Vault—6th Ayala 10’0 Running Events 100m—8th M. Rodriguez 12.03 Relay 4x400m—8th J. Rodriguez, Camacho, De La O, Ayala 3:46.64

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lady Mustangs’ softball season comes to a close at home after losing a nail biter to Dilley, 4-5. The Lady Mustangs were competing against Lytle and Crystal City for the last spot in the post season and unfortunately were just edged out by one game. Despite a slow start, Natalia surged midseason to keep their playoff hopes alive and clawed their way up the standings to give themselves a fighting chance. The Lady Mustangs end the season with a district record of 3-7 and an overall record of 12-16.
Team leaders in stats: Leyla Saenz led the team in runs at 29, doubles at 7 and triples at 2. Claire Wise had two homeruns this season. Tracy Najera Garza had 29 stolen bases. Selyene Gallegos had 23 hits on the season. Ralynn Juarez had 18 RBIs.
Congratulations to the Lady Mustang players and coaching staff for an inspired season!
Vs Dilley
Batting: Ary Ramirez- 2 R, 2 H, Tracy Najera Garza- 1 H, Alani Aguinaga- 1 R, Allison Moreno- 1 R, 2 H, Alyssa Esquibel- 1 RBI
Baserunning: Ramirez- 1 SB, Najera Garza- 1 SB, Aguinaga- 1 SB, Moreno- 1 SB
Fielding: Ramirez- 1 for 1 on PO, Leyla Saenz- 4 PO, 2 A, Jade Mata- 1 for 1 on PO, Najera Garza- 3 for 3 on PO, Selyene Gallegos- 1 PO, Liliana Saenz- 2 for 2 on PO, Ralynn Juarez- 4 for 5 on PO, 1 A, Rilee Carpenter- 2 for 3 on PO, Alani Aguinaga- 2 for 2 on PO, Alyssa Esquibel- 1 for 1 on PO
Pitching: Alani Aguinaga threw 4 strikeouts on 34 batters faced over 7 innings pitched. 

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lady Mustangs have battled their way back into playoff contention after starting district play with a record of 0-5. Since then, Natalia has gone 3-1 and have locked themselves into a three-way tie with Lytle and Crystal City record wise for the fourth and final…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The Mustang track and field varsity and JV teams got back into the groove of things last week in Karnes City. Natalia has one regular season meet left at San Antonio Christian before tackling District 28-3A on April 9-10 on their own fantastic facilities.
Finishing in one of the top six spots of their respective varsity events were Jimmy Ayala, Alim Echeverria, Roger Najera, R.J. De La O, and Matthew Rodriguez.
Scoring points

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Natalia Lady Mustangs drop their first district game of the season to Hondo, 3-8. The Owl’s offense was too much for Natalia to keep up with. However one game does not define a team. Natalia had won their previous three…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!