A Historic Season for the Vaqueros
Armani Raygoza of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has cemented his place in Southland Conference history by becoming the first student-athlete to repeat as Player of the Year for back-to-back seasons, a feat that underscores his sustained excellence on the diamond.
The senior’s impact extends beyond the conference, as he was selected by D1Baseball as one of the nation’s top prospects and tops the league in walks, home runs and slugging percentage, while also ranking among the leaders in several other key metrics.
Joining Raygoza on the first team are Rocco Garza Gongora and Julius Ramirez, while Kike Cienfuegos and Easton Moomau earned second-team honors, contributing to a total of eight all-conference selections for the Vaqueros.
Garza Gongora’s 19 doubles set a new program benchmark, tying for the second-most in a single season, and he also leads the conference in doubles and runs scored, while Ramirez sits second in the league with 49 RBI.
Pitcher Kike Cienfuegos posted a 2.08 ERA and tops the conference in wins, and shortstop Hank Warren completed the defensive lineup with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
All of these performances helped UTRGV secure the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament, positioning the team for a deep run as it prepares to open play in the postseason.