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Pacheco’s baseball dream comes true

Tyrin Pacheco has had one dream for a long time. He wanted to play college baseball at the University of New Mexico. Wednesday afternoon, that dream became a reality when the Hobbs High School senior signed his national letter of intent to play for the Lobos in Albuquerque next season.

“This is literally a dream come true. The thought of this, something that I have been working for my whole life, something that I have been preparing for and knowing that this has finally come, it’s just something words can’t explain,” Pacheco said. “I just can’t wait to get out there and show them what I can do and show them what I have been working for.”

Pacheco was one of 10 players that UNM received early commitments from Wednesday. By signing early, the Hobbs senior will have only one focus for the 2018 high school season, doing whatever he can to help the Eagles win.

“Knowing that I have a D-I scholarship and being a D-I signee, it is a very good feeling,” Pacheco said. “It gives you that extra boost and momentum to get you through the year and to keep you going.” Pacheco is going to be joining the Lobos as an infielder and a pitcher. When he gets to UNM, the Eagle senior said he wants to do whatever he can to help the team and get playing time.

One of the biggest things that excites Pacheco is getting the chance to play for legendary coach Ray Birmingham, who is from Hobbs.

“It is pretty awesome,” the Eagle senior said. “I have always (gone) to his camps. He has known me since I was about 4 years old. When I took the unofficial visit, he made me feel like (UNM) was the best fit for me.”

For Birmingham, bringing in not only another New Mexico athlete, but one from his home town, is huge.

“Tyrin is a multifaceted player that will find a way to impact our program,” he said. “He is another New Mexico kid that, through his play and commitment, made it apparent at a young age that we needed him in our program. We are always excited to expand our recruiting to all areas of New Mexico and Tyrin being from Hobbs – my hometown – is a great example of that.”

Pacheco made his official visit to UNM up in Albuquerque back at the end of October, from the 27th through the 29th. While there, he got to meet some of the players as well as some of the other coaches. When the visit was over, Pacheco was even more sold on joining the Lobos.

“I met the players and the trainer and the other coaches,” he said. “It felt like that was the best fit for me. That was a guarantee, 100 percent that that was where I wanted to go and this was going to be my home for the next four years.”

During his junior year, Pacheco was one of the Eagles’ top pitchers. While his record was 5-5, he struck out 74 batters in 72 innings of work with an ERA of 1.46. He also had a complete game and one save. For his career, Pacheco is 6-5 with a 1.75 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 80 innings. He has pitched in 16 games for Hobbs, with 10 of those being starts.

Eagles’ skipper Marco Bowles has big expectations for Pacheco this season.

“He is going to be our No. 1 guy,” Bowles said. “We are going to be counting on him quite a bit. … He has a lot of playing experience. He has played quite a bit over the summer and during the fall, so he has a lot of innings in him, so hopefully that will pay off for us as well.”

When not out the baseball diamond, Pacheco will be hitting the books. While not completely decided on a major, he is leaning between mechanical engineering, business, and law. “It is for backup in case my baseball career doesn’t go the way I want it to,” Pacheco said. “It is something to fall back on and there is a bunch of opportunities and job opportunities that come from those majors.”

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