Seven Yuma baseball players all sign to Big Bend Community College
Key members of the squad who got the Criminals back in the playoffs will now be taking their careers up to Washington together
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma baseball is sending seven players off to the next level, with all committing to Big Bend Community College in Washington.
After a historic season for the program, which included a 4A Black Canyon Championship, and the Criminals' first home playoff game since 2011.
Now, head coach Nick Johnson can add one more accomplishment to the year, with many key contributors from this squad heading to play junior college baseball together.
Andres Ortiz, Kevin Garcia, Jaime Ruelas, Eli Lujan, Juan Ayala, Isaiah Villalobos, and Deven Aguirrebarrena were all honored with a ceremony on Monday.
"I'm very excited, this was a dream since I was a little kid, it's all I wanted to do is go play college baseball," Ortiz said.
The feat is something Aguirrebarrena appreciates as well.
"It's rare to go to college with like two to three other teammates, but to go with six guys and then the guys that I've played with basically my whole life, it's awesome," Aguirrebarrena said.
Garcia, who was the region player of the year, says he can't wait to head up to school with his teammates.
"It's not the same if you go alone and then it's a totally different experience, honestly, I'm just excited for it," Garcia said.
As for what drew the boys to the Washington school, which is just about three hours southeast of Seattle, Villalobos says they were drawn to the Vikings program.
"The whole team was close and they were really welcoming, and, it felt the same way, kind of when I first came to Yuma High," Villalobos said.
Coach Johnson had taken the players to visit the Big Bend campus in summer 2024, which stood out as a favorite moment for Ruelas.
"The trip to Washington to visit Big Bend was easily one of my favorite trips, all those trips.riding with Johnson easily the best memories," Ruelas said.
Johnson's impact on his players also stretched beyond a summer trip, as Ayala said after the ceremony Monday.
"He's helped me with a lot of things, he's always been there for me no matter what, not just for me, but my teammates," Ayala said.
Even while celebrating their upcoming college career, Lujan still took a moment to reflect on what he'll remember most during his Criminals career.
"All the night games at this field, everybody knows we have the best field in Yuma whenever we have our home field, all my favorite memories were from this year," Lujan said.
