Diego Vita/THE RIDER
Armani Raygoza, a communication studies junior, is a first baseman for the UTRGV Baseball Team. Raygoza earned Southland Conference Hitter of the Week honors after helping lead the Vaqueros to a 3-1 record, including a road sweep of Houston Christian University.
Q: You just became the program’s all-time home run leader over the weekend. What does that mean to you?
A: Whenever I get an award like that, or any individual award, I always think about the people who helped me do that stuff–the coaches, all the players. At the beginning of the year, obviously, things weren’t going our way, and especially for me. … I wasn’t performing as well as I should have. So, I give a lot of credit to those guys for sticking with me and not giving up on me.”
Q: Take me back to your freshman year, even your redshirt year. Did you ever see yourself eventually becoming the program’s home run leader?
A: “Yeah, funny story. When I first got here, I had never really sat in my life, so it was definitely a big tool mentally, for me. But guys like Brandon and coach Rob [Martinez, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator] just told me to stick with it and put in the work. I couldn’t say I saw myself becoming the home run leader. I’d be lying to you, but I just took it one day at a time.”
Q: Head coach Derek Matlock mentioned coach Martinez is a big reason why you’re here because of the way he helps break down your work. Can you talk about any recent tweaks to your approach or what has been working for you lately?
A: “Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s been a lot, mechanically. It’s been a lot more mental. I had a rough stretch, and we talked with each other and said, ‘Hey, man, just go out there and have fun. Don’t put this team on your back. There are a bunch of good guys here.’ That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Q: During the offseason, what were you really focused on improving?
A: “I mean, I talked to coach Martinez every single day in the offseason. I think I talked to him more than my own parents. We had a certain circuit we went through every day on the field, just a variety of stuff and drills.”
Q: How do you stay the course, and what more do you want to do for this program?
A: “Yeah, I mean, as much as people see all the individual accolades, it’s not something I pay attention to. All I want to do is take this team to a regional, and that’s how I go about it. I want to change this program.”
Q: What do you like most about this team and the culture around it?
A: “It starts with the coaches. They’re definitely player-friendly coaches. I can walk into the office whenever I want. I could call them at 3 in the morning, and I know they’d answer the phone. And with the guys, just the team bond we have, a lot of times the guys come over to my house. We have cookouts, and we just try to bond together a lot.”
–Compiled by Diego Vita
