Famous Moments

1989 May Coach Ray Birmingham signs his first recruit, All-State second baseman Kevin Lallmann from state champion Carlsbad High School.

1990 February Thunderbirds play the first game in school history in the Laredo Texas Community College tournament. NMJC opens against preseason NJCAA #1 Howard College and beats the Hawks 5-2 behind the pitching of Joe Garcia.

1990 February Thunderbirds play first home game at College of the Southwest field; beat NJCAA #3 team Cochise College.

1990 June Wes Shook, NMJC first baseman signs with Texas Tech, goes on to make All-Southwest Conference 1st team the next two years as a Raider. Shook later signs with Texas Rangers and homers off Nolan Ryan in first big league spring training.

1990 June NMJC signs eight drafted players for the coming year. Eventually ten players are drafted professionally off 1992 team.

1991 February Thunderbirds open season at new Thunderbird Field with a 10-9 win over Brookhaven College.

1991 April Thunderbirds give Frankie Rodriguez, Howard pitcher and #1 draft pick of Boston Red Sox, first and only college loss 8-1 as T-Birds take series from Hawks. Hawks go on to win National Championship easily after battling to get out of the WJCAC. Rodriguez, throwing 98 MPH in JUCO, goes on to be NJCAA MVP and pitcher in the big leagues.

1991 May Thunderbirds complete first winning season at 42-18. Freshman pitchers Scott Conner (Orioles) and Alonso Beltran (Blue Jays) sign six-figure
contracts.

1991 June Thunderbirds sign Astros 15th round draft pick shortstop Jose Flores out of New York City. Flores will later become NMJC’s first All-American in baseball and continue a string of seven All-American or drafted shortstops at NMJC. T-Birds also sign Armando Almanza out of El Paso Bel Air. Both Flores and Almanza go on to play in the big leagues.

1992 February Thunderbirds surprise #1 ranked Seminole College 8-3 during tournament in Dallas. Alex Peña picks up the win. Peña later signs with
the Baltimore Orioles.

1992 May Thunderbirds qualify for playoffs but lose playoff game with Frank Phillips in mid-May to send Howard on to Texas finals.

1993 May Thunderbirds qualify for state tournament in Brenham, Texas; finish as Region V runner ups and 48-13 overall after being ranked as high as ninth in the country. Jose Flores makes All-American signs with University of Texas. Armando Almanza signs with St. Louis Cardinals, joining former Thunderbird Jaime Surratt in the organization. Jaime Macias signs with Texas Tech, H. J. Wright signs with Houston Astros, Greg Cushman hits 20 homers in a season and Almanza throws the school’s first no-hitter. Flores leads country in hitting with .500 regular season average.

1993 June Former Thunderbird pitcher Carlos Chavez plunks “professional baseball player want-a-be Michael Jordan during a White Sox intrasquad.

1994 May Aaron Vejil signs with the Cincinnatti Reds. The LHP becomes one of six drafted players from the 1994 group.

1995 April NMJC wins first conference title behind the pitching of Jason Matthews and Bryan Kozlowski. Kozlowski and shortstop Tudy Mata make All-American and both get drafted. Matthews goes on to Louisiana Tech. NMJC finished the regular season ranked #3 in country. Alexis Zapata leads country in hitting with .510 average. Later signs with Detroit Tigers. Thunderbirds hit .417 to lead country in hitting.

1995 October David Lantigua, sophomore third baseman, makes pre-season All-American after hitting .427 on the national champion hitting team in 1995.

1996 June NMJC shortstop Jason Katz drafted by Atlanta Braves. Katz is part of T-Bird infield that sets school record for double plays with 72 for season. Centerfielder Terry Clemmer leads country in hitting with a .486 average.

1997 April Thunderbirds clinch WJCAC Co-Championship but go into playoffs as #2 seed after losing to Odessa College in Odessa on final regular season game. NMJC pitcher Eddie Misquez leads Texas in strikeouts and shortstop Ryan Anholt makes NJCAA All-American and later goes on to become NCAA Coaches Division I All-American at N.E. Louisiana. Misquez signs with UNM, makes All-WAC and leads Lobos to playoffs for first time in ten years. Seven players are eventually drafted off the team.

1998 May NMJC leads country in homers with 122. Radames Torres and Nestor Gonzales make All-American. Jay Dines signs with Michigan. Torres sets school record leading country in homers with 30.

1998 July Former Thunderbird pitcher David Thomas in keeping with tradition, plunks “professional baseball player want-a-be” Garth Brooks during a Padres intrasquad.

1999 May Pre-season All-American shortstop Craig Montgomery signs with Louisiana Tech, Marcus Glass signs with West Texas State and Mark Holly signs with Bruton-Parker, NAIA powerhouse.

2000 May Thunderbirds lead country in hitting with a .395 average led by All-Region V player Kalani Napolean who hit .475 and second baseman Trevor Rurak who hit .471. Kerry Hodges, drafted by Cleveland, signs with Texas Tech and makes Academic All-American. Napolean signs with University of Texas. It marks NMJC’s seventh 40-win season in school history.

2000 July Three NMJC players make All-American. Brandon Kaye is named first team DH; outfielder Kerry Hodges and pitcher Ben Schenckman are named Academic All-Americans.

2001 June Thunderbirds and former Thunderbirds drafted. Kerry Hodges led a seven person string of Thunderbirds drafted by being selected in the 9th round by the Houston Astros. Bernt Tarbett went with the Red Sox, Adam Riddle to the Pirates; Fred Lebron to White Sox; Vince Davis to the Indians, Jason Columbus to the Indians and Mitch Arnold to the Angels.

2001 July Adam Riddle was named 1st Team All-American, Jason Columbus 3rd team All-American and John Factue Academic All-American, giving NMJC 16 All-Americans in 12 years of the program.

2001 March NMJC wins the Arizona Tournament for the second Championship in the tournament in five years. 2001 July Adam Riddle and Josh Birmingham sign with #8 NCAA Nebraska, Jason Columbus signs with #9 LSU and Brandon Kay signs with Oklahoma. Matt Bullen signs with UNM; Joe Blevins signs with Missouri Central and Brad Weinmeyer sign with New Mexico Highlands.

July 2001 Thunderbirds drafted: Adam Riddle Pittsburgh Pirates; Brent Tarbet Boston Red Sox; Jason Columbus, Cleveland Indians; Vince Davis Cleveland Indians; Mitch Arnold Anaheim Angels; Fred Lebron Chicago White Sox; Kerry Hodges Houston Astros.

July 2001 Thunderbirds College Baseball Ranks: Adam Riddle Nebraska Univ., OF; Josh Birmingham Nebraska Univ., SS; Jason Colubus, LSU, 1B; Brandon Kaye, Oklahoma City Univ., 1B; Matt Bullen UNM, RHP; Joe Belvins, Missouri Central, RHP; Brad Weinmeyer, New Mexico Highlands, 3B; Cody Paul, Lubbock Christian, 2B; Ken Mattner, Indianapolis Univ., LHP; Dan Deporte, Mesa State, RHP; Drew Murray, Grambling, OF.

July 2002 Kalani Napolean with Texas puts a T-Bird on NCAA Champions. October 2002 Former Thunderbird Brendon Donnelly wins Game #6 of MLB World Series.

May 2002 First Baseman Brian Bowe, signs with Texas A&M after leading country in hitting with a .543 average. Bowe makes 1st team All-American.

June 2002 Kalani Napolean, former T-Bird Centerfielder, plays center for University of Texas and helps Longhorns to National Title. Former players Josh Birmingham and Adam Riddle participate in series with Nebraska.

October 2002 Former NMJC pitcher Brendan Donnelly, 1990-91, pitches as a setup man for Anaheim in MLB World Series and gets the win in game #6 for the World Champions.

July 2003 Brendan Donnelly gets the victory for the American League in the All-Star game.

October 2003 Armando Almanza becomes the second Thunderbird to win a World Series ring while pitching for the Florida Marlins.

June 2004 Johnny Lujan is selected first team All-American. This brings the total up to eighteen in NMJC Baseball history.

March 2005 Eli Elicerio throws first perfect game in NMJC history. (RHP)

June 2005 New Mexico Junior College wins their first World Series after making their first appearance at the JUCO World Series. The T-Birds went 5-0 through the tournament to bring the trophy back home. Brian Flores becomes the single season all-time wins pitcher with 15 wins during the T-Birds national championship run.

July 2005 Brian Flores, LHP and Mike Gosse, DH are selected to first team All-American NJCAA List and Rene Osuna, 2B, is selected third team All-American. Kory Johns, Marc Noble, Josh Talley, Dean Stucker are named academic All-Americans. Noble is named distinguished Academic All-American. NMJC Baseball has now had 25 All-Americans in its 16 year history.

July 2005 Cody Harkcom goes to Kansas City Royals in the 12th round, Flores is redrafted by White Sox, Josh Giles gets drafted by Texas Rangers and Rene Osuna (World Series MVP) goes to the Rangers as well. Now 87 Thunderbirds have been drafted since 1990.

January 2006 New Mexico Junior College head coach Ray Birmingham is voted Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association to go along with his NJCAA Coach of the Year. He receives the award at the national convention in Chicago. Birmingham is recognized for his 27-year career in coaching, 928 wins, and his national championship.

February 2006 Jereme Johnson, freshman outfielder from Roswell, NM, becomes the first Thunderbird to open his career in college with a five-for-five hitting performance vs. McMurry University.

March 2006 NMJC ends a 29-game winning streak, the longest in school history with a 12th inning 12-11 loss to Midland College in Midland. The winning streak began in April of 2005 as the T-Birds run-ruled El Paso Community College in the regular season finale and then marched through the NJCAA playoffs undefeated. NMJC opened the 2006 season with 19 straight wins including sweeps of Seminole State, OK; Otero College, CO; Luna College, NM; and McMurry University JV, TX.

April 2006 Brian Flores added another chapter to his sparkling career at New Mexico JC with a five-inning 48-pitch perfect game against conference foe Frank Phillips College. It was the second perfect game in NMJC history. The 11-0 shutout also gave Flores six shutouts on the season, another school record, and nine for his career.

April 29, 2006 The Thunderbird baseball team clinched its second consecutive conference championship with a four game sweep of El Paso. The Thunderbirds ended the regular season 49-6-1 and conference 23-5. It was the fifth WJCAC title for NMJC in 16 years. It also marked the 11th playoff appearance for NMJC in the 16 year history of the program. The T-Birds were ranked #1 in the country from start to finish after capturing the national title in 2005.

May 13, 2006 Brian Flores was named MVP of Region V by the coaches in the region. Flores and outfielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez were ranked the top two players in the region. Four Thunderbirds made All Region V. Flores and Cavazos-Galvez along with Mike Gosse and Nick Sanders were All Region, bringing NMJC’s All Region players to 31 total over the years. All four T-Birds have a chance to become All-American.

May 14, 2006 Brian Flores and Chris French were named to the NJCAA all-star team vs. China July 31st-Aug. 6th in Millington, TN. Flores and French are the second and third NMJC players to be named to the squad. Nestor Gonzales, all-American DH 1998, was a member of the squad that year.

May 31, 2006 New Mexico Junior College’s Brian Flores, Brian Cavazos-Galvez and Nick Sanders were named to the NJCAA all-American list today. Flores, a left-handed pitcher, was first team all-American; Sanders, an infielder, was third team DH and Cavazos-Galvez was honorable mention. NMJC has now had 28 all-Americans in 16 years. They were chosen over some 9,000 young men that participate in NJCAA baseball annually.

June 7-8, 2006 Logan Parker, all-Region 5 1st baseman for NMJC in 2004, was drafted in the 12th round by Cincinnati Reds in the 2006 MLB draft. Hobbs native and Thunderbird centerfielder for two years, Chris French, was drafted in the 21st round by the Washington Nationals. French ran a 6.2 60-yard dash for the Nationals at a pre-draft workout and hit a homerun from both sides of the plate. Right-handed pitchers Matt Speake and Adam Kramer were drafted in the 45th round by San Franciso Giants and Washington Nationals respectively. Both will return to NMJC for a second season. Former NMJC pitcher Ricky Ibarz was on the draft board from the 9th round on after touching 93 mph and finishing as the top pitcher at Pan American University. However, visa problems effected his signing and Ibarz will return to college.

July 8, 2006. Brian Flores was named 2006 NJCAA David Rowlands Male Student Athlete-of-the-Year.

December 14, 2006. Brian Cavazos-Galvez received the NJCAA Div. I Southwest District Batting Championship trophy today. The trophy represents the top batting average in a five-state area (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.) Cavazos hit .517 in NMJC’s conference championship season of 2006. He was named all-American and all-Region 5. He added 10 homers, 65 RBI, 20 doubles, seven triples to his offensive totals that year. Cavazos was the sixth Thunderbird to receive that award.

March 15, 2007. The Thunderbird baseball team won two games at the Wooden Bat Tournament against Luna Community College and Cochise Junior College, giving NMJC’s Head Baseball Coach Ray Birmingham his 1,000th and 1,001st career wins.

May 10, 2007. NMJC Baseball Coach Ray Birmingham was named the head coach of the West All-Stars in the East vs. West NJCAA all-star game in Millington, TN, to be held June 12-16. Birmingham, who served as assistant coach on the 2004 all-star team that went to China and beat the Chinese all-star pro team, was named the head coach for the national all-star team in 2006 vs. China. Birmingham will select players from West Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Utah, Nevada, Arkansas and Illinois for the team. The teams will play a best of three series. The series is used to promote the talent in NJCAA baseball and will consist of the best freshman prospects in the country.

May 11, 2007. The New Mexico Junior College baseball team wins its third consecutive WJCAC title and finishes the season ranked #1 in the country. NMJC has now finished #1 in the country for three straight years and WJCAC champs, a first time achievement in the WJCAC. Also, NMJC finished #1 in the country in team batting average with a .429 average. It marked the sixth time NMJC has led the country in hitting and the 14th time NMJC was one of the top three hitting teams in the country. The .429 average is also the second highest batting average in NJCAA history, just behind the Thunderbirds record-setting performance of .438 in 2001. NMJC holds four of the top five team batting titles in NJCAA history. The 2007 team was led by Adalberto Santos, who led the country in hitting with a .540 avg. It marked the sixth time a T-Bird had led the country in hitting. Santos' mark is the fourth best batting average in school history behind Adam RIddle's .560 in 2001 (drafted by Pittsburgh Pirates) and Brian Bowes' (who went on to Texas A&M) .543 and .541 in 2001 and 2002. The national ranking marked the 14th time NMJC has been nationally ranked and the fifth time it has finished in the top ten among NJCAA teams. It marks the 14th time since 1990 that NMJC has won over 40 games and the sixth time NMJC has won the conference. It also marked the 9th time Coach Birmingham was named Coach of the Year in the WJCAC.