Mexico Headed To Play At Central Florida

BALDWINVILLE, Ma. - Watson Mexico was born in Florida before his family moved a year later.

“My dad was at a chiropractic school in Daytona when I was born but we moved when I was a year old when he was done with school and opened a practice in Massachusetts,” Mexico related.

Now a 17-year-old, Watson will be going back to the state he was born in after making a college commitment with Central Florida.

“It’s time to get home,” Watson said.

The connection with Central Florida came with help from NEB coach Scott Patterson.

“He’s close friends with one of the UCF coaches,” Mexico noted. “They saw me pitch in Florida and I ended up pitching well. We stayed in touch and eventually offered me on the phone. I chatted with my parents and called back five minutes later and accepted.”

While in Florida, Mexico checked out the university located in Orange County.

“I was talking to the coach and said I wanted to get on campus and he made it happen the next day,” Mexico reflected. “I liked the campus, the facilities, the location and the coaching staff.”

North Carolina State, Alabama, Maine, Rhode Island and Elon were among the other schools that were being considered by the third-rated 2024 left-handed pitcher in New England.

“Something I’ve always thought about is playing at a high Power 5 school like UCF,” Mexico pointed out.

There was a lot about the 6-1 165-pounder that stood out to Central Florida.

“They like my accuracy and said my performance was really good when they saw me,” noted Mexico, who fanned seven in three innings of work while UCF was in attendance. “I’m somewhat inconsistent on the mound where hitters don’t know what’s coming. My accuracy allows me to show what others don’t.”

Adding to the decision of a commitment with Central Florida was the chance to hit.

“They want me mainly as a pitcher, but I did well hitting when they saw me so it’s not out of the question,” explained Mexico, a left-handed hitter who plays outfield. “The coach said it’s beneficial to do both, so as long as I don’t suck at hitting I’ll get my chance. That was very important to me. A lot of the others only saw me as a left-handed pitcher, so the two-way option played a big role in my decision.”

Improvement at both was important in becoming a D-I commit.

“A lot of it is comfortability, how to be comfortable on the mound and how to be comfortable in the box,” Mexico said. “Baseball works differently for everybody. Some peak or develop earlier and some later. Being comfortable and loose and enjoying the sport has been the biggest help in the last year.”

There was no time more enjoyable for Mexico than playing for Team Massachusetts at the Future Games.

“That was an awesome experience,” Mexico said. “I loved it. From PBR making you feel special to being around a bunch of good athletes from my area, some that I knew, it was just a great experience.”

It capped off a recruiting process that included advice from older brother, Sebastian.

“Him going through this before helped,” Mexico said of the Phillips Academy Andover 2021 graduate who is now playing at Fordham. “I’ve taken a lot of the knowledge he’s picked up at Fordham and I use that.”

Mexico, who is now a student at P27 Academy, pointed to additional areas that were beneficial in his recruitment.

“The biggest thing for me was Twitter,” Mexico noted. “Since I was 13 I’ve posted things I was doing there and it’s helped me out a ton. Along with that, PBR and their showcases were very important with their high following and good reputation with coaches.”

Playing on the 603 Bandits 18U team as a 15-year-old also proved valuable according to Mexico, who is confident about what he can provide the American Athletic Conference program.

“If all goes well and I’m not drafted out of high school, which is the goal, I’m going to keep working on being a unique pitcher that brings good velo, swing-and-miss pitches that also hits bombs,” noted Mexico, a 3.2 student considering a major in business .

While a commitment to Central Florida was memorable, it is only part of what Mexico has in mind when it comes to his baseball future.

“It was definitely surreal, but at the same time I’ve seen it coming,” the 23rd-rated 2024 in New England concluded. “I’ve always had confidence that I can do what I want if I keep working hard. This is awesome, but it’s just one step at a time. It’s not over yet.”