Darwin Argumedo Muñoz is swinging a hot bat for the Tartan Pride. The 19-year-old catcher from Cartagena, Columbia said it’s all about getting the job done.
“It’s all about playing with confidence,” Argumedo said. “Staying with the process and staying focused, you know, working hard to get the job done. I’m willing to sacrifice whatever I can for the team.”
He said that growing up as a kid on the beach, he wasn’t always interested in baseball.
“I started playing when I was 10, but I would have much rather been hanging out with my friends,” Argumedo said. “I started playing because my dad wanted me to. But when I got a little older, I started to really like the game more and more.”
His father had been living in the United States for 11 years, when Argumedo decided to come over and play in the Dayton Classic. He was then introduced to Steve Dintaman, and his collegiate career started from there.
Argumedo was red-shirted last season. As he was focusing on learning the English language, he said his biggest task was learning to slow down.
“In Spanish, we speak so fast,” he said. “But in English, I had to slow down so people could understand what I am saying.”
In his first season with the Tartan Pride, Argumedo is averaging .398 on the season with 28 RBI’s.
“The kid is just killin’ baseballs right now,” Dintaman said.
El Gato Grande, or the big cat as Dintaman calls him, said that his favorite part of baseball is hitting.
“I love to hit,” Argumedo said. “It’s not as important that you get a hit, but that you just hit the ball hard and put it into play. See the ball—hit the ball.”
Although Argumedo is mostly known on the team as a big hitter, his defense has been notable as well. On April 7, he and Corey Johnson collaborated on Sinclair’s first in-conference no hitter in years.
“When we found out that we were playing together, we decided to take notes from the other team’s hitters,” Argumedo said. “And by the fourth game, we knew the hitters very well.”
He actually wasn’t aware Johnson had a no-hitter going until the last inning when a fellow teammate told him not to mess it up.
“Once [Matt] Sullivan got the last out, the feeling was amazing,” Argumedo said. “We really played well together.”
In his spare time, Argumedo said that he loves to dance and spend time with his family.
But until about a month ago, his mother was still overseas in Columbia.
“Now that we are together again—we are happy,” he said.
Argumedo said that he doesn’t want his team to get too cocky, even though they have won 10 straight games. But when it’s all said and done, he feels his team has what it takes to win a championship.
“I think we can win everything, if we stick to the plan,” he said. “The biggest thing is that we trust each other and we know that everyone is capable. If we stick to our game, we can win this.”
You can see Argumedo and the entire Tartan Pride team take on Vincennes University on April 25 at Grady’s Field in Xenia at 2 p.m.
- Fri. May 17th, 2024