Baseball | 5/8/2019 6:12:00 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.— Six Panhandle State Baseball athletes have earned recognition as the All-Sooner conference teams and Gold Glove selections were announced Wednesday (May 8) afternoon.

Catcher Luis Rodriguez has helped the Aggie Baseball team make history as he earned baseball's first-ever First Team All-Conference nod. Rodriguez had a spectacular sophomore year, leading the Aggies in batting average at .372 gaining him the No. 10 ranking in the SAC. Rodriguez also tops the team in RBI with 43 on the season, putting him at 13^th in the rankings, as well as six-spot in RBI/Game, averaging .96 per outing. Over his 45 games played, Rodriguez produced seven doubles and eight home runs, earned 32 walks and 85 total bases, and concluded the season with only 13 strikeouts on his 145 at-bats. Rodriguez' excellent agility behind the plate earned him a .983 fielding percentage and a spot at No. 12 in the conference rankings.

The Aggies also featured three Second Team All-Conference selections in center fielder Payton Rhodes, pitcher Yesiel Valdez and second baseman Gerson Padilla.
Rhodes pulled the Aggies' second-highest batting average and earned himself No. 15 in the SAC with a .358 average, slinging ten doubles, one triple and two home runs on the season. Rhodes' control at the plate earned him 19 walks and 66 total bases, and he exited the season with just 12 strikeouts over 134 at-bats. Rhodes' speed and accuracy in the outfield yielded a .975 fielding percentage, as he secured 76 putouts over 79 chances with just two errors on the season.

Valdez ended his first year with the Aggies with a 6-5 record and a 5.31 ERA, pitching 76.1 innings over 14 games on the season. He sits tenth in the SAC in batters struck out, retiring a total 84 batters with a 9.9 K average. Valdez only gave up two home runs on the year and issued a .244 opponent batting average.

At No. 25 in the SAC, Padilla earned a .976 fielding percentage on the season with 107 putouts over 169 chances with 58 assists over his 44 games played. Padilla also starred at the plate for the Aggies, securing a .314 batting average with seven doubles and three home runs on the season.

Panhandle also pulled in three Gold Glove winners in left fielder Bradley Ruiz, first baseman Jared Mayeda and Gerson Padilla also earned the accolade in addition to his second-team recognition.

This is Ruiz' second Gold Glove nod in back-to-back years. Over his 37 games played this season, he pulled in 31 putouts over 34 chances, sports zero errors and boasts a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Mayeda worked his way to the No. 5 spot in the SAC rankings with an astounding 295 putouts over 307 chances, 11 assists and just a single error on his 47 games this season.  His .997 fielding percentage earned him a Gold Glove but his bat was also dominant for the Aggies. Mayeda culminated his senior season batting .350 with 12 doubles, a home run and 28 RBI to his name.

Head Coach Jason LaRocque doted, "I'm very proud of these young men and their accomplishments this season. They have taken our program to new heights and I'm very excited about the direction we are headed in and the future of Aggie Baseball."