Six Lobos make MWC's 25th Season Baseball Team
May 22—The University of New Mexico is well represented on the Mountain West 25th Season Baseball Team announced by the league on Wednesday. Six Lobos made the cut.
Former UNM standouts Mitch Garver, Danny Ray Herrera, Jordan Pacheco, DJ Peterson, Rafael Neda and Carl Stadjduhar earned spots on the honorary team. UNM's six players were the most among current and former Mountain West member schools on the 25-player list, although San Diego State had the most overall honorees with seven (four of them pitchers).
UNM's representatives also are in good company on the lists of 25 players and 10 pitchers who have excelled over the MWC's first 25 seasons. The list includes Major League stars such as Aaron Judge (Fresno State), Stephen Strasburg (SDSU), Jake Arrieta (TCU), Ty France (SDSU) and C.J. Cron (Utah).
Oddly, former Air Force two-way player Paul Skenes made both MWC lists. Herrera, exclusively a pitcher, was on the 25-player list but not among the 10 pitchers honored.
Here is a quick look at the UNM players honored.
Mitch Garver (2010-13): Two-time MWC Co-Player of the Year (shared with Peterson) in 2012-13. Started a program-record 181 straight games for the Lobos before moving on to play for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and this season the Seattle Mariners.
Danny Ray Herrera (2004-06): The 5-foot-6 Herrera posted a 10-0 season as a junior and won 22 games for the Lobos in three seasons. He was MWC Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2006 and went on to pitch for the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.
Jordan Pacheco (2005-07): MWC Player of the Year in 2007, Pacheco posted a .384 career batting average for the Lobos. He went on to play for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds and is currently hitting coach for the Albuquerque Isotopes.
DJ Peterson: Shared MWC Player of the Year honors with Garver in 2012-13 and was a three-time All-American at UNM. He became the program's highest-ever MLB draft pick (12th overall by the Seattle Mariners) and played for the Albuquerque Isotopes last season.
Rafael Neda (2008-10): MWC Freshman of the Year in 2008 and a three-time All-MWC selection, Neda batted a team-best .415 in 2009. He was a 10th-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010.
Carl Stajduhar (2015-17): MWC Player of the Year in 2016, Stajduhar was a two-time All-American and hit 44 home runs during his three seasons with the Lobos. Started 166 straight games (second only to Garver's 181) and was drafted by the New York Mets in the 18th round in 2017.
