Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Texico Athletic Director Ryan Autrey, left, congratulates Seth Griego on signing his letter of intent with the Oklahoma Panhandle State baseball program Monday at the school. Griego started for Texico in its 2019 Class 3A championship game victory.
TEXICO - Even when you're part of a program that's won four consecutive state championships, it's still difficult to get college looks playing at Class 3A Texico.
Now imagine doing it when your body of work largely occurred two years ago, and it's even more impressive Seth Griego found himself on Monday at the Texico Sports Arena, signing a letter of intent as friends and family dressed in Oklahoma Panhandle State shirts looked on.
Griego, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound pitcher and outfielder, said he's gotten some of his college looks with travel teams in Texas as the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out his junior season at Texico. The NAIA Aggies were the only school that had so far made an offer, but various junior colleges and Division II programs had taken a look.
Texico Athletic Director Ryan Autrey commented on how impressive it was that Griego got a college offer despite a resume that largely excluded his junior year and, "hopefully, we'll get you on the field one more time."
Griego's last two appearances for the Texico baseball team were pretty good resume builders. He started the Class 3A title game in 2019, and last year tripled and scored the lone run in a 1-0 win over Dimmitt the Wolverines snuck in just before the New Mexico Activities Association canceled all competitions.
That state title game was when Griego realized his lifelong dream of playing baseball at the college level was possible, but coach Ty Thatcher said the possibility was always there.
"I saw that the talent was there," Thatcher said. "He played a little, got spot duty as an eighth-grader. I still remember the first time I put him in a game at a tournament in Eunice. He handled himself well, showed he could play at a high level."
The Aggies finished a pandemic-shortened season at 10-16, including a 3-4 record in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
As far as what work Griego needed to do so he's ready for the next level, he said it wasn't any one thing.
"I've got to get bigger, stronger, faster," he said. "I have to be able to hit the ball harder, throw the ball harder."
