Six Lobos Named to MW Baseball 25th Anniversary Team
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Six former New Mexico baseball players — Mitch Garver, Danny Ray Herrera, Jordan Pacheco, D.J. Peterson, Rafael Neda and Carl Stajduhar — were named to the Mountain West’s 25th Season Team, the league announced Wednesday.
As a celebration of the Mountain West’s 25th Season of excellence on and off the field of play, the Conference is recognizing a 25th Season Team during each Mountain West Championship in 2023-24. Entering the 25th Mountain West Baseball Championship, 10 different institutions have claimed regular-season titles and eight different institutions have celebrated Conference championship crowns. New Mexico (3), San Diego State (6) and UNLV (3) have won multiple MW championship titles.
The Lobos (28-24, 17-13 MW) are in San Diego this week to play for a Mountain West Championship in its first MW Tournament appearance since 2017, having earned the No. 2 seed to lock in its fourth straight matchup with San Jose State (22-31, 16-14 MW) at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Thursday. All of this week’s tournament action will be broadcast via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/WatchBSB, with live stats available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on socials for gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
MITCH GARVER (2010-2013)
Currently with the Seattle Mariners in the MLB, Garver ended his career with his second Mountain West Co-Player of the Year award and as a Johnny Bench Award Finalist for the second year in a row to solidify his status as one of the greatest Lobos of all time. He would go on to be selected in the ninth round of the MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins and has played in 490 games in eight years in the bigs, winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers last season.
Garver became UNM’s all-time Iron Man by starting 181 straight games, setting a new career high in his senior year by hitting .390 while scoring 55 runs to go with 21 doubles, five triples, six home runs, and a career-high 68 RBI. Notably, he had a 26-game hitting streak, the sixth longest in school history, from Feb. 16 to April 1. Additionally, Garver earned Academic All-Mountain West honors for the fourth straight season, becoming one of only three players in program history to accomplish that.
DANNY RAY HERRERA (2004-2006)
One of the most unique Lobo pitchers to make it to the bigs, Herrera’s 5’6” stature and true screwball – a pitch he developed at UNM – underlied one of the most dominant careers on the mound by a Lobo, even if it was only for three years. His junior year, Herrera posted a 2.24 ERA over 128.1 IP, striking out 104 in that span while only walking 29. That year, he started 17 games, the second-most in a single season in program history, and accumulated a 10-0 record to finish his UNM career with 22 wins.
At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Herrera was named MW Co-Pitcher of the Year and made the MW All-Tournament team, going on to be selected by the Texas Rangers in the 45th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He spent time with the Reds (2008-2010) as well as Brewers and Mets (2011).
JORDAN PACHECO (2005-2007)
An Albuquerque native who won state championships playing for La Cueva High School in 2003 and 2004, Pacheco remains one of the most prolific hitters in program history, as he compiled a .384 average with 59 doubles, eight triples, 25 home runs and 145 RBI over three seasons before being named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in 2007. Pacheco was drafted in the ninth round by the Colorado Rockies in 2007 and eventually made his Major League debut with Colorado in 2011. Pacheco played in 377 major league games – still the second-most by any UNM alum – with the Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds (2011-2016) before retiring.
DJ PETERSON (2011-2013)
He was drafted 12th overall in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, becoming UNM’s highest draft pick ever. After a senior season in which he won the MW overall triple crown for a second straight year by hitting .408 with 18 home runs and 72 RBI, Peterson was named NCBWA’s District VIII Player of the Year as well as a first team All-American – becoming UNM’s first ever three-time All-American in the process – and Mountain West Co-Player of the Year for a second straight season. He also finished as a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award for the second straight year.
RAFAEL NEDA (2008-2010)
The MW Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American in 2008 and a three-time All-MW selection, Neda was selected in the 10th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers after leading the Lobos with 11 home runs in 2010. He also led UNM in batting average .415 in 2009, with a .504 on base percentage that season that still ranks as the best by a sophomore and 11th best in UNM history.
CARL STAJDUHAR (2015-2017)
Stajduhar was a Freshman All-American in 2015 and a Louisville Slugger All-American (Third Team) and MW Player of the Year in 2016 after hitting .331 with 18 home runs (a team high), 17 doubles, 51 runs and 66 RBI (a team high). Those 18 homers are still the sixth-most in a single season in UNM history, and his 44 career round-trippers are the third-most in program history to go with the fifth-most RBI (188). His 166 consecutive starts in those three seasons are second only to Mitch Garver. A five-time MW player of the Week, he closed out his career with another All-MW and All-American finish in 2017 before being selected in the 18th round of the MLB Draft by the New York Mets.