LUBBOCK, Texas – The College Baseball Foundation announced its semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's best shortstop, on Wednesday. Incredible play at the plate and in the field earned New Mexico State's Joey Ortiz a spot on the award's semifinalist list.
Ortiz has been on a tear all season long helping the Aggies to a first-place spot in the Western Athletic Conference during the final week of the regular season. The junior was named the WAC Hitter of the Week on April 15 and into the last three games of the regular season he leads the entire NCAA in hits (97), runs scored (78), runs batted in (82), and triples (10), while also ranking second in batting average (.