Coronado graduate Mauricio Millan has been steady at catcher for El Paso Community College

As the El Paso Community College baseball team makes a push for the NJCAA Region V tournament, former Coronado High School catcher Mauricio Millan is doing his part.

He's been a stalwart behind the plate and has been the team's starter in all four games on a weekend as EPCC often plays Friday-Saturday series in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play.

"I love being behind the plate and I do what I need to do," Millan said. "I've tried to be a leader on defense, helping our staff and helping our defense be in the right spots. At the plate, I try to be someone who gets a big hit when needed."

In a weekend split with Western Texas last Friday and Saturday at EPCC, Millan did both. He threw out two runners and was key at the plate, especially on Saturday when the Tejanos won both games to improve to 12-8 in the WJCAC.

Millan missed much of the 2020 season at Coronado after the season was cancelled in March due to COVID-19 and all of last year at EPCC was nixed due to the pandemic.

"I tried my best to stay as sharp as I could during the time off," Millan said. "Nothing beats playing the game and getting ready for a game, but I feel like I've done fine here at EPCC and made progress. It's a longer season than high school and with more games I've had to be mentally prepared for that."

Millan hit third in the lineup against Western Texas and was productive. On the season, he is hitting .326 with four homers and 32 RBI in 32 games.

Millan's talents behind the plate certainly caught the attention of Division I schools and he's signed to play for Wichita State in Kansas. He's planning to play summer baseball in West Virginia as part of a Major League Baseball Draft League, where scouts can monitor his progress.

"Baseball continues to give me great opportunities," Millan said. "I've been fortunate to have had success here at EPCC and sign to play college baseball. My goal is to play professionally."

Said EPCC coach Julien Soucy: "Mauricio is a tremendous catcher and he is a student of the game. He handles a game tremendously and he's given us a great effort at the plate with several big hits."

More: Andress football player draws Division I interest

Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Coronado grad Mauricio Millan steady presence at catcher for EPCC