El Paso baseball players will play at Division I level

A pair of El Paso Community College baseball players, who are from El Paso will continue their baseball careers at the Division I level

El Dorado High School graduate Isaiah Garnica will continue his career at Stephen F. Austin and Riverside grad Diego Cardenas will play for Abilene Christian.

Garnica, who plays third base, hit .434 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play this past season. He had 14 doubles, 42 runs scored and 26 RBIs.

"I just came into this season wanting to help the team, have fun and not put too much pressure on myself," Garnica said. "Stephen F. Austin is a good spot for me. A couple of former teammates are there already and I'm working hard this summer to get ready for the next opportunity. Seeing Diego get the opportunity he's getting is great. He works hard every day and that work has paid off.""

Cardenas was named a Junior College All-American this past season, hitting .384 with 58 hits, 21 homers, 69 RBIs and 51 walks. The 21 homers were sixth in the nation.

Cardenas, who plays first base, will join former Socorro HS pitcher Ian Campa on the roster at ACU.

"Abilene Christian was as interested in me as I was in them," Cardenas said. "It's a good school, a good program. Iain helped me in the recruiting process and put in a good word for me. I'm happy for Isaiah getting his chance to play at the next level, he works so hard."

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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez at elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso baseball players will play at Division I level