By Robert Fulton

Heading into the 2010 college baseball season, University of Missouri freshman Eric Garcia was just looking for a spot on the roster. A shot to prove himself, like any youngster would desire.

Prove himself, he did.

The Hendrickson High School graduate not only made the Tigers’ roster, he was their starting second baseman. In 46 games – 42 of them starts – Garcia batted .288 with six home runs and 31 RBIs. Not bad for a player just coming into his own.

“I just came into the season knowing it was open,” said 19-year-old Garcia during a recent phone conversation. He described how he saw an opportunity, and took it. “I tried to get a spot.”

This summer, Garcia is playing ball for the Texas Collegiate League, a seven-team outfit featuring prime collegiate talent. Garcia is a member of the Texas Tomcats, based right down the road in Weimar. Through 10 games this season, he was batting.423 with seven RBIs.

Garcia is playing shortstop for the Tomcats. It’s his natural position. He played some second at Hendrickson High and was happy to play the position his freshman year at Missouri, but shortstop is where he’d like to ultimately end up at. In the TCL, he’s looking to improve both his defense and his offense, while getting stronger and faster.

“Just trying to get better,” he said. “Work on some things.”

Playing for the Tomcats was also appealing because it’s close to the Pflugerville area, where he still has family.

“I wanted to be close to home,” he said. “I like my family. I don’t get to see them too much. Being close helps.”

Speaking of close to home, Garcia kept tabs on his former high school squad. Hendrickson High had its best season yet in its young experience. The team, which plays in District 25-4A, reached the region semifinals this season, one round from the state tournament. At one point, the squad was ranked as one of the top-50 baseball teams in the country, and finished the year 33-5.

“I was excited to keep see them go deep into it,” said Garcia, adding that he likes to think he played a small part in this team’s success. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Garcia chose to attend Missouri because he got a good feeling about the place after a visit. He’s since declared physical therapy as is major.

“It just felt right,” Garcia said. “The coaches, the players, the campus. It felt comfortable. It’s different, too. Something I wanted to experience.”

The Tigers finished with a 29-26 record, and 10-16 in Big 12 play. The team didn’t qualify for the College World Series. Garcia says he was happy with his individual performance, and that the team “had a great year chemistry-wise.” However, he’d like to have seen a few more Ws, but isn’t dwelling on the past.

“You can’t do much about it now,” he said.

Heading into next season, Garcia will push for the starting shortstop position. He has high expectations and is upbeat about his sophomore campaign.

“I feel like next year we’ll be a lot better team,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes.”