Tanner Eells (l) and Paul Routos close-out their college careers this weekend against St. Mary's.

May 7, 2008

Texas A&M International University will close-out the regular season this weekend with a four-game series against Heartland Conference power St. Mary's. The Dustdevils and Rattlers will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Veterans Field, beginning at noon each day.

The season finale weekend will conclude the careers of four seniors; Tanner Eells, Angel Encinas, Paul Routos and Arek Zambanini. Arriving in Laredo from locales across the United States, all four played on TAMIU's inaugural baseball squad in 2007. Each member of the senior class has helped lay the foundation for a winning program.

Eells and Routos are Renton, Wash. natives who were teammates at Liberty High School and Green River Community College before transferring to TAMIU. They have known each other since middle school. Zambanini is a Pennsylvania native who played at Allegany Community College before making his way to the Gateway City.

Encinas is a Arizona native who will end his career as one of the most recognizable student-athletes to ever compete for the Dustdevils. Arriving on campus in 2005, he achieved an outstanding two-year basketball career before turning his attention to baseball.

Encinas was a basketball standout at Cochise Community College before transferring to TAMIU. He finished his Dustdevil career as the school's all-time leader in steals and assists, earning honorable mention All-Red River Athletic Conference honors as a senior.

Even though he had not played baseball since high school, Encinas made an immediate impact in his return to the diamond. He earned second-team All-Heartland Conference honors last season as a utility player.

Encinas says his career highlight was having his older brother make a surprise visit from Iraq to watch his home collegiate baseball debut last season. He honored his brother, who is serving in the U.S. Army, by going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI.

Routos says that helping launch the program has been a positive experience for the senior class.

"It has been an awesome experience and deciding to come here was a great choice," Routos said.

"The guys on this team have come from different backgrounds and ethnicities to start this program. It's going to be special for all of us to look back in a couple of years and realize that we helped get it all started," he added.

TAMIU head coach Mickey Callaway says the senior class has led by example this season.

"It has been an honor to coach this group of seniors," Callaway said. "Every one of them have an uncommon passion for the game."