Four New Mexico Baseball players earned All-Mountain West honors ahead of the Lobos’ opening-round matchup at the MW Baseball Championship on Thursday, with starting pitcher Ryan Castillo named First Team All-Conference and infielder, Akili Carris, outfielder Khalil Walker and reliever Cooper Corkrean making the All-MW Second Team.
The Lobos’ four honorees makes it three years in a row in which four or more UNM players earn all-conference nods – four made the cut in 2024, with six in total in 2025.
It’s the first such honor for Castillo, Carris and Corkrean. For Walker, it’s his third year in a row finishing with all-conference honors – the graduate student outfielder was named Second Team in 2024 and First Team in 2025.
The Lobos concluded the regular season 28-22-1 overall and 12-11-1 in Mountain West play, securing the No. 5 seed in the MW Baseball Championship. They'll open their postseason with a single-elimination game against No. 4-seed Nevada tonight at 7:05 p.m. MT in Mesa, Ariz.
RYAN CASTILLO - FIRST TEAM ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
Castillo became one of the most dependable starting pitchers in the conference in 2026, going 4-2 over eight MW starts while leading the Lobos with a 4.91 ERA, 47.2 innings pitched and 41 strikeouts in league play. The right-hander held conference opponents to a .266 average and produced one of just five complete games this season in conference play, issuing just 14 walks for a 1.32 WHIP.
The junior righty was named MW Pitcher of the Week on March 30 after tossing six innings of shutout ball in UNM’s series-clinching win over Fresno State on March 28. In MW matchups, he ranks No. 3 in wins (4), No. 5 in innings pitched (47.2) and strikeouts (41).
AKILI CARRIS - SECOND TEAM ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
In his final collegiate season, Carris started 23 of 24 Mountain West games at third base and led the Lobos in conference play with in batting average (.337), hits (31) and RBI (22). He also scored 21 runs while adding four doubles, a triple and two home runs, finishing with a .467 slugging percentage and .398 on-base percentage while going 2-for-2 on stolen-base attempts.
Carris racked up multiple hits in 11 of 24 Mountain West games – including four in his last seven heading into the tournament – finished with a career-high four hits twice.
KHALIL WALKER - SECOND TEAM ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
Walker finishes as an all-conference selection for the third straight year after starting all 24 league games in either center or left field and batting .326 against MW opponents. He totaled 28 hits, eight doubles, 17 RBIs and 12 runs scored while reaching base at a .410 clip, adding a team-high six stolen bases in conference play.
Walker earned MW Player of the Week honors on Feb. 23 after batting a team-high .636 in the Lobos’ four-game sweep of Northern Colorado, finishing with a 1.915 OPS (.733 OBP / 1.182 slugging) while scoring seven runs and driving in six.
COOPER CORKREAN - SECOND TEAM ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
In his first season with the Lobos, Corkrean proved to be the Lobos’ most reliable reliever down the stretch – the lefty accumulated a 5-1 record and one save over 10 MW appearances, posting a 3.81 ERA across 28.1 innings. He struck out 31 against just nine walks, held conference opponents to a .194 average and finished with a 1.02 WHIP in league action.
In Mountain West games this season, Corkrean ranked No. 2 in the conference in opponent average (.194) and wins (5), T-No. 4 in appearances (10) and No. 7 in ERA (4.04).