2 El Paso natives college baseball postseason honors on Division 1 level

• Americas High School graduate Armani Raygoza, a sophomore designated hitter at UT-Rio Grande Valley, earned All-American honors.
• Raygoza had a standout season with 17 home runs, 17 doubles, 60 RBIs, and a .357 batting average.
• Riverside High School and El Paso Community College graduate Diego Cardenas received ABCA/Rawlings Central All-Region second team honors.
• Cardenas hit 19 home runs and had 67 RBIs during the season.

A pair of former El Paso high school baseball stars have been honored with postseason awards in college baseball after successful seasons at the Division I level.

Armani Raygoza, Americas High School graduate

Armani Raygoza, a sophomore designated hitter at UT-Rio Grande Valley, was named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Third Team All-American and a Third Team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American. 

Raygoza is the 20th player in program history to receive All-American honors and the first since 2014 when Sam Street was recognized with NCBWA All-American Third Team and Louisville Slugger All-American Second Team honors.

 An American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region first team selection, the Southland Conference (SLC) Player of the Year, an All-SLC First Team selection, and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Raygoza had 17 home runs, 17 doubles, 60 RBI, 47 runs scored and two stolen bases in 53 games, including 51 starts at designated hitter and two at first base.  Raygoza had one of the top individual seasons in program history, ranking third in total bases (149), fourth in home runs (17), seventh in RBI (60), eighth in hits (81), and tied for eighth in doubles (17). He also hit 23 home runs over the last two years, the third-highest career total in program history.

Diego Cardenas, Riverside High School graduate

Cardenas a former star player at both Riverside High School and El Paso Community College was named to the 2025 ABCA/Rawlings Central All-Region second team, as by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Cardenas, who plays for Abilene Christian University in the Western Athletic Conference, showed his dominance offensively throughout the season. Leading in five different offensive categories, the Juco transfer made a big difference as a designated hitter. Throughout the conference tournament, Cardenas was able to have a season-high of three home runs in one game and just a two-run homer short of the home-run cycle.

Cardenas finished the season with a total of 19 home runs, 67 RBIs and 136 total bases. 

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X

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