Former Aggies Kyle Bradish, Joey Ortiz and Nick Gonzales were inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame in January after each reached the major leagues.
By Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest
Sources: NMSU Athletics (By Tiffany Acosta), Library of Congress (By Neely Tucker)
Images: Courtesy
A version of the NMSU story was published in the spring 2026 issue of Panorama. For more stories, visit https://panorama.nmsu.edu.
Cover Photo Caption: More than a century separates the 1906 New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanics baseball team and today’s Aggies in the major leagues, yet the game—and the dreams it inspires—remain remarkably familiar. (Vintage Photo Courtesy NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections.)
When the 2018 New Mexico State baseball team captured its first Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, few could have predicted just how much major league talent was on the field.
Eight years later, members of that team continue to leave their mark on professional baseball. Former Aggies Kyle Bradish, Joey Ortiz and Nick Gonzales were inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame in January after each reached the major leagues. Today, Bradish pitches for the Baltimore Orioles, Ortiz plays for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Gonzales stars for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For the three former teammates, entering the Hall of Fame together remains difficult to comprehend.
“It’s pretty crazy to think how three of us were on the same team not too long ago, and now we’re here,” Bradish said. “All three of us are in the big leagues having success. It’s just really crazy to think about and a big blessing.”
The journey from Las Cruces to the major leagues is one baseball fans have long celebrated—and preserved. For more than a century, baseball cards have served as snapshots of the game, capturing stars, role players, and forgotten figures alike. The Library of Congress maintains a collection of more than 2,100 historic baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914, preserving players whose stories might otherwise have faded from memory.
One such player was pitcher Mike Mattimore of the Philadelphia Athletics. His best season came in 1888—the same year New Mexico A&M, now New Mexico State University, was founded. While Mattimore’s career was brief, his baseball card remains a reminder that even lesser-known players leave traces in the history of the game.
Mike Mattimore, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1888, strikes a sliding pose in this promotional baseball card. Coincidentally, pitcher Mike Mattimore’s finest season came in 1888—the same year New Mexico A&M, now New Mexico State University, was founded. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Not every player becomes a Hall of Famer like Christy Mathewson, one of baseball’s original immortals, or John Montgomery Ward, a pioneer for players’ rights and one of the game’s earliest stars. Yet baseball cards preserve them all, from legends to journeymen.
Christy Mathewson (left) played for 17 seasons and is regarding as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, wining 373 games. John M. Ward (right), a star player who put himself through law school and formed the first sports labor union in 1885. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
The same tradition continues today. Baseball cards featuring Nick Gonzales and Joey Ortiz have already entered the collector’s realm, placing former Aggies alongside generations of players memorialized in cardboard and ink.
Nick Gonzales 2024 Topps Rookie Card (Courtesy Topps)
For Gonzales, New Mexico State played an important role in that journey.
“The environment and the culture is just so family-oriented and loving and embraced me with open arms,” Gonzales said. “It felt like home right away.”
Joey Ortiz 2025 Topps Heritage #207 (Courtesy Topps)
Ortiz, meanwhile, credits team chemistry for success at every level of baseball.
“We’re all pretty close,” Ortiz said of the Brewers. “The group is a bunch of good people, and good ballplayers, and gritty ballplayers.”
That same chemistry may have been present on the 2018 Aggie squad that helped launch multiple major league careers.
And the story may not be finished. With former Aggie Kyle Bradish back in the major leagues, baseball fans in southern New Mexico may soon be watching for an updated baseball card—another reminder that the story of Aggie baseball is still being written, one season at a time.
Former Aggie Samy Natera Jr. also made his Major League debut in early June.
Baseball cards have long preserved the game’s heroes, legends, and journeymen alike. Today, former Aggies such as Nick Gonzales, Joey Ortiz, and Kyle Bradish are joining that tradition. And somewhere in the future, another young player in Las Cruces may one day find his own name printed on cardboard—proof that another chapter of Aggie baseball history has been written.
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