Texas Boy Set To Make His Amarillo, TX Baseball Debut

We all love a good success story, and we love it even more when it comes rampaging through Amarillo, TX. That exact scenario is about to play out, and HODGETOWN is the place where you'll be able to get a glimpse of it.

You know what makes the success story even better? When it involves a Texas native with nothing but Texas roots.

Ivan Melendez is a baseball player who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. What makes Melendez so special to Texas? Let's start with the fact that he's a native of El Paso, TX. He graduated from Coronado High School and was a top baseball player in high school.

Melendez could've chosen just about any college, but his love for Texas kept him home as he attended the University of Texas. Melendez experienced massive success while at UT, and ended his college career on top of the world.

Ivan won the coveted Golden Spikes Award, handed out by USA Baseball as the top amateur baseball player of the year in college. His monster season shot his draft stock up and the D-Backs nabbed him in the second round.

That was good news for Texas baseball fans as it meant at some point, he was going to have to come through Amarillo during his baseball career. That time is officially now.

Melendez was promoted to the Sod Poodles and we'll get our first look at him in Amarillo this coming Friday. He's been crushing the ball in single A and we expect to see more of that happening here at HODGETOWN.