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Bryan Ramos | Staff Writer

Meet The Monitor’s 2026 all-area baseball superlative winners and all-area teams, selected by the RGVSports.com staff from players across the Upper Rio Grande Valley.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JT REYNA, JUNIOR, PSJA HIGH

PSJA High junior first baseman/pitcher JT Reyna put together a dominant season for the Bears to earn The Monitor’s top honor as the Upper Valley All-Area Player of the Year.

Reyna became the Bears’ leading hitter and ace on the mound in his first year with the team, helping PSJA capture the District 31-6A championship and get back to the Region IV-6A Division II Final for a second straight season.

Reyna raked at the plate with a .500 batting average, 41 hits, 32 RBI and 17 runs scored. On the mound, he finished with a 10-1 record and 1.15 ERA, striking out 119 batters in 73 innings of work.

Reyna upped his game in the postseason with a 3-1 record. He recorded two shutouts in bi-district and area round wins, then pitched six strong innings with eight strikeouts and no walks to lead the Bears to a 6-1 victory over Dripping Springs in Game 1 of the regional finals.

SUB-5A PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JAYTHAN SALINAS, JUNIOR, GRULLA

District 32-4A’s Most Valuable Player Jaythan Salinas was lights out on the mound for the Gators in 2026 to earn Sub-5A Player of the Year honors.

Salinas led Grulla with a 0.80 ERA and struck out 108 batters in 43.1 innings pitched. His 108 strikeouts ranked seventh in the state in Class 4A.

Salinas pitched a gem in the first round of the playoffs to lead Grulla to an upset victory over Robstown in Game 1 of their bi-district series, surrendering just two hits while racking up 15 strikeouts in a 2-1 Gators’ win.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: MATT ORTIZ, SENIOR, LA JOYA HIGH; NIC VALDEZ, SENIOR, SHARYLAND HIGH

A pair of seniors in La Joya High’s Matt Ortiz and Sharyland High’s Nic Valdez starred in center field for their respective squads to split The Monitor’s All-Area Baseball Co-Offensive Player of the Year title.

The UTRGV signee Ortiz was instant offense for La Joya with a .515 batting average, 53 hits, 46 RBI and six home runs. He helped lead the 30-8 Coyotes to the regional semifinal round of the playoffs with playoff series wins over Brownsville Veterans and Medina Valley.

The Texas A&M-Kingsville signee Valdez consistently helped spark Sharyland’s offense throughout their historic run to the 5A DII state championship game. Valdez hit .486 with 54 hits, 49 runs, 30 RBI, two home runs and 30 stolen bases for the state runner-up Rattlers.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DAREN GARCIA, SENIOR, PSJA NORTH

PSJA North senior shortstop Daren Garcia capped off a sensational four-year career while helping revive the Raiders’ baseball program. He led PSJA North to a 24-9 record in 2026 by locking down the middle infield as The Monitor’s All-Area Baseball Defensive Player of the Year.

Garcia finished the year with a .978 fielding percentage and committed just two errors in 84 total chances, while also posting a .513 batting average with 39 hits, 39 RBI, 24 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

The Alvin College signee was named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State Elite Team and was one of three players from the Rio Grande Valley to play in the THSBCA All-Star Game, which features the top seniors from across the state.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: SERGIO “CHECO” IBARRA, SENIOR, SHARYLAND HIGH

Sharyland High senior pitcher Sergio “Checo” Ibarra was a driving force behind the Rattlers’ run to the Class 5A Division II state championship game, earning all-area pitcher of the year honors in the process.

Sharyland’s ace took the ball in big game after big game and delivered time after time for the Rattlers. Ibarra, District 31-5A’s pitcher of the year, finished the 2026 campaign with an 11-2 record, a 1.14 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 98.1 innings pitched. The Navarro College signee went 4-2 in the playoffs and was named a THSBCA Class 5A First Team All-State selection.

CO-UTILITY PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: ALEX LEON, SOPHOMORE, MCALLEN ROWE; DEANDRE RODRIGUEZ, SENIOR, RIO GRANDE CITY

McAllen Rowe’s Alex Leon and Rio Grande City’s DeAndre Rodriguez dominated as two-way players on the diamond for Warriors and Rattlers, respectively, as the duo shares The Monitor’s All-Area Co-Utility Player of the Year award.

Rowe’s sophomore third baseman/pitcher led the Warriors in both hitting and pitching in 2026, batting .509 with 54 hits, 42 RBI, 28 runs scored and three home runs. A THSBCA All-State Third Team selection at third base, Leon was equally effective on the mound, finishing with a 6-2 record and a 2.65 ERA with 59 strikeouts across 42.1 innings.

Rio Grande City’s catcher/pitcher Rodriguez, a Ranger College signee, finished his senior season atop the Rattlers batting and pitching leaderboards. Rodriguez hit .551 with 49 hits, 38 RBI, 40 runs, nine home runs and 33 stolen bases. On the mound, Rodriguez went 6-2 overall with a 0.96 ERA and 66 strikeouts across 58.1 innings pitched.

CO-NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR: IJ GARZA, FRESHMAN, SHARYLAND HIGH; ROGAN GONZALEZ, FRESHMAN, MCALLEN ROWE

District 31-5A produced two of South Texas’ top first-year players in Sharyland High’s IJ Garza and McAllen Rowe’s Rogan Gonzalez.

Garza, who spent most of the year as Sharyland’s designated hitter, emerged as a consistent bat and added some power to the Rattlers lineup on their run to the Class 5A Division II state title game. He finished the year batting .333 with 27 hits, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored and three home runs.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, turned into a key piece for the Warriors after earning the starting role at second base and a spot in Rowe’s pitching rotation. At the plate, Gonzalez hit .342 with 27 hits, 21 RBI, 14 runs scored and one home run, while also posting a 3.20 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 35 innings.

COACH OF THE YEAR: AUSTIN BICKERTON, SHARYLAND HIGH

Sharyland head coach Austin Bickerton takes home The Monitor’s All-Area Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Rattlers to a historic 2026 season.

The Rattlers finished the year 37-5 overall, captured the 31-5A championship in arguably the Valley’s toughest baseball district at 15-1 in league play, then proceeded to win five playoff series en route to the Class 5A Division II state championship game with Bickerton leading the way.

The 2026 Sharyland Rattlers became the Valley’s first team to reach a state title game since 2007 and just the fifth to do so in RGV high school baseball history.

Bickerton coached the Rattlers to playoff series wins over Donna High, Corpus Christi Ray, Liberty Hill, Cedar Park and Kingwood Park before falling against Lucas Lovejoy in the Class 5A Division II state championship game.

The Monitor’s All-Area First Team

P – Jaime Cordova, La Joya Palmview

P – Ezra Gonzalez, Roma

P – Hiram Lopez Jr., Rio Grande City

P – Milo Villarreal, Sharyland High

C – Luis Cienfuegos, Sharyland High

1B – Santiago Soto, Sharyland High

2B – Luis Balderas, Sharyland High

SS – TJ Ayala, PSJA High

3B – Roque Vela, Sharyland Pioneer

IF – Jayden Del Villar, Weslaco East

OF – James Cansino, PSJA High

OF – Joseph Martinez, La Joya Palmview

OF –  Axel Pulido, La Joya High

OF – Antonio Solis, Weslaco East

DH – JC Garza Jr., McAllen Rowe

Utility – Gael Zambrano, La Joya High

The Monitor’s All-Area Second Team

P – Alex Bocanegra, La Joya High

P – Rolando Bocanegra, Donna High

P – Matteo Herrera, PSJA North

P- Gilbert Rodriguez, Edinburg Economedes

C – Zeke Garza, PSJA High

1B – Javier Garza, La Joya Palmview

2B – Marcoantonio Alvarado, PSJA North

SS – Diego Castillo, Weslaco High

3B – Rene Rios, Edinburg Economedes

IF – James Abrego, Weslaco East

OF – Kane Coy, McAllen Memorial

OF – Matt Garza, McAllen Rowe

OF – Ayden Guajardo, Mission High

OF –  Eduardo Hernandez, Weslaco East

DH – Jesse Garza, PSJA High

Utility – Noah Cortez, Mission High

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