LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A program record five New Mexico State baseball players were named to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team on Wednesday the American Baseball Coaches Association announced.
 
The Aggie infield saw great success and were rewarded for their great play this past season with first baseman Tristan Peterson, second baseman Nick Gonzales, shortstop and fourth-round draftee Joey Ortiz garnering first-team honors for the Midwest region alongside outfielder Tristen Carranza. Starter Chance Hroch rounded out the list of honorees for NM State with second-team honors.
 
Peterson finished his first season with the Aggies a .400 batting average – which was good for third on the team and 14th nationally. The Tucson, Ariz., product was also nationally ranked second in RBI (90), fourth in slugging percentage (.769), ninth in on-base percentage (.520), 15th in homers (20), 18th in runs (69) and 25th in total bases (150).
 
Gonzales, who is arguably one of the premier if not one of the top second baseman in the country, has racked up four All-America nods in 2019 so far. Nationally, he led the country in batting average (.432), third in slugging percentage (.773), fourth in hits (95), fourth in runs scored (80), fifth in RBI (80), fifth in on-base percentage (.532), sixth in total bases (170) and eighth in sac flies (8).
 
Ortiz, who became NM State's highest draft pick in program history with his fourth-round selection (108th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles had a breakout season. The Garden Grove, Calif. product was named the 2019 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year back in May. On the national stage, Ortiz led the country in hits (106) and runs scored (85) while checking in at second in triples (10), third in batting average (.422), third in RBI (84), fourth in doubles (25), fourth in total bases (175) and 19th in slugging percentage (.697).
 
Carranza, a four-year letter winner, had a great senior campaign and finished ninth in hit by pitch (21), 10th in RBI (73), 12^th in slugging percentage (.719), 16th in triples (6), 17th in on-base percentage (.500), 19th in home runs (20), 20th in total bases (151), 22nd in sac flies (7) and 25th in runs scored (67).
 
Hroch, the Sunday starter for NM State, finished with a team-high 10 wins in 2019 – which was good for 11th-most in the country. The righty went 10-1 in 15 appearances with a pair of complete games for the Aggies – including two shutouts. The Temecula, Calif., native posted a 2.74 earned runs average while striking out 69 batters and held opponents to just a .245 average.