Matador Baseball’s top hitter lands at DI Arkansas State; ace reliever/3rd baseman signs with DII NM Highlands
Arizona Western College is proud to announce that two members of the AWC Baseball team have signed official letters of intent to play for 4-year schools next fall. 2nd Baseman Giovanni Garcia has signed with NCAA Division I school Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas; and third baseman/pitcher Jorge Molina has signed with NCAA DII power New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The announcements come a little over two months since the two Yuma County products finished their Matador Baseball careers at AWC.
For Garcia, it will be the second time in the last two years that he will be spreading his baseball wings outside of the Desert Southwest. Garcia was born in Gilroy, California, but raised in the desert southwest and called it home until he finished a storied high school career at Yuma’s Kofa High School in May of 2005. Garcia headed to the Phoenix area to play for South Mountain Community College for the 2006 season, and while he performed well that season for the Cougars, he missed home and returned to the Yuma area. After sitting out 2007, Garcia put on the cardinal and gold colors of AWC Baseball for the first time in the fall of ’07, and immediately established himself as one of the team’s main leaders. Garcia was the team’s leading hitter from start to finish this past season, ending with a .369 batting average, which placed in the ACCAC Top 20 in that category. Most of the Matadors’ offensive statistical categories were dominated by ‘Gio’ as he led the Mats in hits (65), runs scored (41), doubles (16), triples (3) slugging percentage (.494), on-base percentage (.451) and stolen bases (18). The coaches in the conference rewarded Garcia’s efforts by placing him on the 1st Team All-ACCAC and 2nd Team All-Region I postseason squads this past April. Garcia now heads to a program that-like Giovanni-is starting a new era, having named 15-year Mississippi State assistant coach Tommy Raffo as their new head coach last week. The Red Wolves won 20 games in 2008 under Keith Kessinger, who resigned in May after six years at the helm of the ASU baseball program.
Meanwhile, Molina continues the chain of Matador Baseball players who have made the trip to New Mexico Highlands, including his teammate Andy Herrman, who signed with NMHU last month. Molina came to the AWC program in the summer of 2006 after leading the way for the Cibola Raiders’ pitching staff as both a junior and a senior. The Mats quickly learned about Molina’s competitiveness, since Jorge beat out several in the race for the Matadors’ starting job at 3rd base. Molina started 27 games at the ‘hot corner’ for the Matadors in 2007, committing only 5 errors while assisting in 4 double plays. As a freshman, Molina batted .244 with one home run, 4 doubles and 11 runs batted in. He also pitched in 14 games (all but one of them in relief), compiling a 2-3 record with a save, and holding opponents to a measly .223 batting average over 32 innings. As a sophomore, Molina started 43 of the Matadors’ 54 games, and played in 47 games overall. At the plate, Molina was a solid hitter in the middle of the order, finishing with a .274 batting average, one home run, 6 doubles and 17 runs batted in. ‘Moli’ also had 37 hits in 2008, which tied him for 4th-best on the squad. However, Molina’s main strength in 2008 was preventing opponents from scoring, since he became the team’s most consistent reliever. His 17 appearances on the mound were 2nd-most on the squad, and his stingy 2.12 ERA and 2 saves were 2nd-best on the team in each category. His lone decision of the season came in one of his strongest outings, firing 3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball at Eastern Arizona, and giving his teammates enough time to come from behind for a 4-3 victory on April 1st. Molina now joins a Cowboys’ baseball program that reached the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship Game in May, much in part to the play of former Matadors and ‘08 All-RMAC selections James Mayorga and David Barrios.
For Garcia, it will be the second time in the last two years that he will be spreading his baseball wings outside of the Desert Southwest. Garcia was born in Gilroy, California, but raised in the desert southwest and called it home until he finished a storied high school career at Yuma’s Kofa High School in May of 2005. Garcia headed to the Phoenix area to play for South Mountain Community College for the 2006 season, and while he performed well that season for the Cougars, he missed home and returned to the Yuma area. After sitting out 2007, Garcia put on the cardinal and gold colors of AWC Baseball for the first time in the fall of ’07, and immediately established himself as one of the team’s main leaders. Garcia was the team’s leading hitter from start to finish this past season, ending with a .369 batting average, which placed in the ACCAC Top 20 in that category. Most of the Matadors’ offensive statistical categories were dominated by ‘Gio’ as he led the Mats in hits (65), runs scored (41), doubles (16), triples (3) slugging percentage (.494), on-base percentage (.451) and stolen bases (18). The coaches in the conference rewarded Garcia’s efforts by placing him on the 1st Team All-ACCAC and 2nd Team All-Region I postseason squads this past April. Garcia now heads to a program that-like Giovanni-is starting a new era, having named 15-year Mississippi State assistant coach Tommy Raffo as their new head coach last week. The Red Wolves won 20 games in 2008 under Keith Kessinger, who resigned in May after six years at the helm of the ASU baseball program.
Meanwhile, Molina continues the chain of Matador Baseball players who have made the trip to New Mexico Highlands, including his teammate Andy Herrman, who signed with NMHU last month. Molina came to the AWC program in the summer of 2006 after leading the way for the Cibola Raiders’ pitching staff as both a junior and a senior. The Mats quickly learned about Molina’s competitiveness, since Jorge beat out several in the race for the Matadors’ starting job at 3rd base. Molina started 27 games at the ‘hot corner’ for the Matadors in 2007, committing only 5 errors while assisting in 4 double plays. As a freshman, Molina batted .244 with one home run, 4 doubles and 11 runs batted in. He also pitched in 14 games (all but one of them in relief), compiling a 2-3 record with a save, and holding opponents to a measly .223 batting average over 32 innings. As a sophomore, Molina started 43 of the Matadors’ 54 games, and played in 47 games overall. At the plate, Molina was a solid hitter in the middle of the order, finishing with a .274 batting average, one home run, 6 doubles and 17 runs batted in. ‘Moli’ also had 37 hits in 2008, which tied him for 4th-best on the squad. However, Molina’s main strength in 2008 was preventing opponents from scoring, since he became the team’s most consistent reliever. His 17 appearances on the mound were 2nd-most on the squad, and his stingy 2.12 ERA and 2 saves were 2nd-best on the team in each category. His lone decision of the season came in one of his strongest outings, firing 3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball at Eastern Arizona, and giving his teammates enough time to come from behind for a 4-3 victory on April 1st. Molina now joins a Cowboys’ baseball program that reached the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship Game in May, much in part to the play of former Matadors and ‘08 All-RMAC selections James Mayorga and David Barrios. 
