FRISCO – UTRGV first baseman Armani Raygoza, HCU catcher Levi Castilleja, and McNeese starting pitcher Eric Nachtsheim picked up the Southland Baseball Player of the Week awards for the third week of the 2026 season, which were announced Monday by the conference office.
Co-Hitter of the Week: Armani Raygoza, UTRGV - R-Jr. - INF - El Paso, Texas (Americas HS)
Raygoza was named one of D1Baseball's top performers Friday after posting fourth-career 4-hit game and third-career multi-home run game and his first of season for both categories. He finished with three home runs on the weekend and five runs batted in. He is just one home run away from tying program career record.
Co-Hitter of the Week: Levi Castilleja, HCU - R-Jr. - INF - El Paso, Texas (Americas HS)
Castilleja reached base in all nine of his at-bats as he caught two of three games in a Southland Conference series against McNeese this weekend, helping lead HCU to a series win over the Cowboys/ He went 8-for-9 at the plate and also reached on an error and hit two doubles and a HR while driving in six runs and scoring three.
Pitcher of the Week: Eric Nachtsheim, McNeese - Sr. - RHP - Reno, Nev. (Reno HS)
Eric Nachtsheim turned in a historic outing for the McNeese Cowboys baseball, tossing his first career complete-game performance and first for the Cowboy pitching staff since May 23,2023 while striking out a career-high 16 batters over 9.0 innings. He allowed just three hits and two earned runs without issuing a walk. The win moved him to 3–0 on the season and marked the first complete game by a McNeese pitcher since May 2023. His 16 strikeouts were not only a career high but also the most by a Cowboy in a single game since the 2019 season.
2026 Southland Baseball Players of the Week
| Date |
Hitter of the Week |
Pitcher of the Week |
| Feb. 16 |
Cade Sanchez, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
| Feb. 23 |
Caston Thompson, Nicholls |
Easten Smith, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Mar. 2 |
Matt Stancliff, McNeese |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
| Mar. 9 |
Armany Raygoza, UTRGV
Levi Castilleja, HCU |
Eric Nachtsheim, McNeese |
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.