STANFORD, Calif. - In the midst of a breakout junior season for the Cardinal, Alberto Rios has been named NCBWA District Player of the Year for District 9.
Rios is the second Cardinal to earn the honor since 2001, joining reliever Jack Little from 2018. District 9 covers programs in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona and Alaska.
Rios has been one of the West Coast's top impact players, hitting .392 with 66 runs scored, 21 doubles, 18 homers and 71 RBIs to help lead the Cardinal into a super regional this week. Already named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball All-America first team pick, Rios was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. No stranger to awards from the NCBWA, Rios was named Player of the Month for May after hitting .481 (26-for-54) with 19 runs scored, eight doubles, eight homers and 25 RBIs over 13 games played (1.074 SLG & .576 OB%). The native of Bellflower, Calif. has posted multiple hits in 11 of his last 20 games overall and is second in the Pac-12 in doubles (21), third in average (.392), home runs (18), slugging percentage (.730) and on-base percentage (.496), and fourth in hits (87) and RBIs (71). Rios has hit safely in 50 of the 58 games he's played this season and owns 24 multi-hit games and a team-best 17 multi-RBI games - including setting a Stanford record with 11 RBIs vs. CSU Bakersfield on March 5.
Rios and the Cardinal are preparing to host a super regional against Texas beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. from Sunken Diamond.
District 1 (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania)
Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine, So., 1B, Upper Marlboro, Md.
.365 BA, 53GP, 53GS, 197AB, 53R, 72H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 39 BB, 36K, 0-1 SB/SBA
District 2 (Connecticut, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington D.C.)
JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia, So., 2B, Mars, Pa.
449 BA, 55GP, 54GS, 225AB, 67R, 101H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 26 BB, 22K, 36-44 SB/SB
District 3 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida)
Jac Caglianone, Florida, Jr., 1B/SP, Tampa, Fla.
.337 BA, 63GP, 63GS, 249AB, 69R, 84H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 31 HR, 84 RBI, 15 BB, 48K, 4-5 SB/SBA
7-3, 3.78 ERA, 16 GP, 16 GS, 0 CG, 0/2 SHO, 69.0IP, 46H, 33R, 29ER, 49BB, 81K, .184 Opp. BA
District 4 (Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland)
Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest, So., SP, Albermarle, N.C.
14-0, 1.77 ERA, 16 GP, 16 GS, 0 CG, 0/6 SHO, 101.2IP, 75H, 25R, 20ER, 20BB, 125K, .207 Opp. BA
District 5 (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin)
Brock Vradenburg, Michigan State, Jr., 1B, Pasadena, Calif.
.400 BA, 55GP, 55GS, 215AB, 62R, 86H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 69 RBI, 36 BB, 34K, 1-1 SB/SBA
District 6 (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
Max Anderson, Nebraska, Jr., 2B, Omaha, Neb.
.414 BA, 57GP, 57GS, 244AB, 51R, 101H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 21 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 29K, 0-0 SB/SBA
District 7 (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana)
Dylan Crews, LSU, OF, Jr., Longwood, Fla.
.432 BA, 61GP, 61GS, 220AB, 87R, 95H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 63 RBI, 61 BB, 40K, 6-6 SB/SBA
Paul Skenes, LSU, SP, Jr., Lake Forest, Calif.
11-2, 1.90 ERA, 16 GP, 16 GS, 2 CG, 0/3 SHO, 99.1IP, 61H, 26R, 21ER, 17BB, 179K, .171 Opp. BA
District 8 (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana)
Austin Deming, BYU, Sr., 3B, Santa Clara, Utah
.418 BA, 41GP, 41GS, 165AB, 50R, 69H, 23 2B, 1 3B, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 20 BB, 29K, 1-2 SB/SBA
District 9 (California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona, Alaska)
Alberto Rios, Stanford, Jr., OF, Bellflower, Calif.
.392 BA, 58GP, 57GS, 222AB, 66R, 87H, 21 2B, 0 3B, 18 HR, 71 RBI, 36BB, 33K, 5-6 SB/SBA
