Baseball

Former NMJC T-Bird Honored Nationally

5/23/2009 - Hobbs, NM. Former New Mexico Junior College T-Bird and current University of New Mexico outfielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez was recently honored nationally for his outstanding performance.

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Student Athletes Honored

Calley Pritchett, Recipient of the 2009 Dutch Klein Award

5/2/2009 8:03:12 PM - Hobbs, NM. On Thursday, April 30, New Mexico Junior College's student athletes were honored in the Ben Alexander Student Learning Center at the 42nd Annual Athletic Awards Banquet for their outstanding individual achievements in athletic training, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country/track, golf, and rodeo.

Kayla Schmitz, NMJC Athletic Trainer, presented Athletic Training Awards to Travis Thompson-Campbell and Amanda Lopez.
Head Baseball Coach Cory Hall made several presentations to student athletes: Armando Gutierrez - Highest Average Award and the Most Home Runs Award; Ben Gonzales - Best Defensive Player Award; Chad Shands - Best Pitcher Award; and Mike Mutcheson - Most Valuable Player Award and the Jack Poyner Award.


In Men's Basketball, Head Coach Jimmy Voight presented awards to the following players: Chris Mast - Best Offensive Player; Richie Lewis - Free Throw Award; Justyn Franks - Best Defensive Player; Fabio Ribiero - Academic Achievement Award; Johnny Higgins - Weight Lifting Achievement Award; and Dana Kendrid - 6th Man Award.

In Women's Basketball, the following players received awards from Head Coach Drew Sanders: Natalia Santos - Leading Scorer Award; Natalia Santos - Free Throw Percentage Award; Natalia Santos - All Conference Award; Natalia Santos - All Region Award; Dominique Haywood - Leading Rebounder Award; Dominique Haywood - All Conference Award; Malorie Marshall - Assists Leader Award; Janisha Young - Steals Leader Awards; and Dominique Rivera - Field Goal Percentage Leader Award.

Nelda Helms, Professor of Physical Education and sponsor for the ThunderSpirits cheerleading program, presented ThunderSpirit Awards to all eight cheerleaders: Kindra Ackridge, Jacqueline Crader, Celsey Eldridge, Courtney Griffin, Tiffany Michelle Lopez, Alexis Orosco, Anna Palma, and Skylar Vissar.



Keith Blackwill, Head Coach for Women's Cross Country / Track team, and Jeff Becker, Assistant Coach, made the following presentations: Caroline Masai - Cross Country Runner of the Year Award; Caroline Jepleting - Freshman Track & Field Athlete of the Year Award; Shantel Thompson - Sophomore Track & Field Athlete of the Year Award; and Calley Pritchett - Most Improved Athlete Award.
 Jeff Becker was also recognized for being named the 2009 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year.

Golf Coach James Black presented four awards, including Zack Fuller - Most Valuable Golfer Award; Zack Fuller - Lowest Stroke Average Award; Parker Sprague - Most Improved Golfer Award; and Jens Johannson - Highest Grade Point Average Award.

Rodeo Head Coach Philip Berry made the following presentations: Tatum Patten - High Point Girl Award; K.C. Peterson - High Point Man Award; William Stovin - Highest Grade Point Average-Freshman Award; Kallie Lamb - Highest Grade Point Average-Sophomore Award; and Caleb Anderson - Sportsmanship Award.

The 2009 Special Recognition Awards for support to NMJC's athletic programs were presented to Randy Johns and Pat Knapp.
The 2009 Dutch Klein Award was also presented to Callie Pritchett of Levelland, Texas. According to Don Worth, NMJC Athletic Director, it is "the single most prestigious award given to a student athlete at New Mexico Junior College. The recipient not only must exhibit athletic ability," he said, "but also the qualities of leadership, scholarship, citizenship, cooperation, and athletic achievement." Pritchett, who is an honor student, a Campus Ambassador, and a member of FCA, was a 3-time national qualifier in the hammer, weight, and shotput.

NMJC Mourns Loss of Acclaimed Baseball Player

1/8/2009 11:03:26 AM - Hobbs, NM.If the amount one is missed can be shown through the number of one's friends, then Daniel Jeff Lucero will be greatly, greatly missed. Numerous friends and family attended the funeral held for the young baseball player at Holy Family Catholic Church in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many other friends at New Mexico Junior College will continue to mourn him as they return to classes and practice.

Lucero grew up playing baseball in Albuquerque. At Valley High School, he was twice selected as All-Metro first-team, as well as being chosen first-team All-State his senior year. Chad Kuhn, Lucero's coach at Valley High School, said that the young man had great potential in high school, both academic and athletic.

NMJC was pleased to welcome Lucero to the Thunderbird Baseball Team in fall 2008. Coach Josh Simpson said he had the highest expectations for Lucero, who had become a favorite among his teammates.

"Jeff was a kid everybody liked on the team; he got along with everyone," said Simpson. "Letting the team know about his death was one of the hardest things I've had to do."

Lucero passed away Monday, December 15, 2008, at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque from injuries sustained in a weekend car accident. According to his grandfather, Ralph Lucero, the young man was thrown from his vehicle when he lost control on an icy road. Lucero was returning home from visiting friends in Colorado.

The coaches, faculty, staff, and students of NMJC are greatly saddened by the loss of this talented and affable young man. We were privileged to have him.

NMJC Head Baseball Coach Leaving, Assistant Coach Recommended for Replacement

Cory Hall & Josh Simpson

7/24/2008 - Hobbs, NM. It's official. New Mexico Junior College Head Baseball Coach Cory Hall is heading for a new position at Western Texas A & M University this fall -- and Assistant Coach Josh Simpson has been recommended to replace him in leading the Thunderbird program.

Hall, who has served as head coach at NMJC since Ray Birmingham's departure to UNM in 2007, has decided to accept the head assistant coaching position at WTAMU, a NCAA Division II school. There, he will once again partner with Matt Vanderburg, who was hired as Head Coach in May. Under Hall's guidance in 2004-2005, the two had coached Clarendon College to its first national ranking in school history.

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