Cowboys Earn Top Pecos League Honors

On the night the Cowboys clinched first place and a regular season title in the Pecos League, Alpine also came up big in the league awards.  Ryan Stevens was named the 2012 Pecos League manager of the year, and Cowboys ace Brett Kennedy was named 2012 Pecos League Pitcher of the Year.

In his third year managing the Cowboys, Stevens lead the team to a league best record at 44-24.  “I’ve been in pro-ball for a while, and I’ve won a championship, but I’ve never been named the Manger of the year in a league.  It’s a great honor.”

Stevens has moved a handful of players up to higher leagues already, this season, including Andrew Wall, who recently signed with the Washington Nationals organization.

Stevens also recorded his 100^th career victory as a manager in professional baseball this season.  He is 108-67 (.617) in his career.

Kennedy, a right-handed pitcher from Atlanta, Georgia, won the award for the league’s top pitcher, as a rookie.  “I’m really honored,” Kennedy said, “It’s taken a lot of hard work throughout my career to get to this point, and I've had a great group of teammates, family, and friends around me this year to help me make it happen.”

Kennedy is 6-2, and leads the Pecos League in earned run average at 2.47, which is over an entire run lower than the next closest hurler.  Kennedy also has 69 strikeouts on the season, just one off of the pace in the league.

Steve Rinaudo, outfielder for the Las Cruces Vaqueros, was named the league’s most valuable player.  Rinaudo ranks sixth in the league in hitting with a .393 average, fourth in home runs, and leads Pecos League hitters with 85 runs batted in.  Additionally, Rinaudo has 22 stolen bases, which is good for fourth in the league.  Rinado went five-for-six with a double, two triples, and three runs batted in a recent game verse the Cowboys.

Both Stevens and Kennedy expressed similar sentiments regarding things moving forward.  “I’m thrilled to have won the award, but my goal, and the team’s goal, from the start of the season has been to bring a championship back to Alpine” Stevens said.

The playoffs begin on Thursday at Kokernot Park, with the Cowboys hosting the fourth seeded Trinidad Triggers.  Kennedy will take the mound in game one, for Alpine.