From playing little league together to being semifinalists for the most prestigious award in college baseball
EL PASO, Texas -- Ivan Melendez (Texas) and Carlos Contreras (Sam Houston) grew up playing little league in El Paso together the two now play college baseball and after standout seasons they are both semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award - the most prestigious award in all of college baseball.
For anyone following college baseball it's really no surprise the pair of El Pasoans got the nod.
Melendez leads all of college baseball in home runs hit with 28. When he hit his 28th dinger on Saturday he tied the longhorns all time single season home run record set back in 2007. He is also second in RBIs and his .421 batting average is also second nationally. Tuesday he was also named Big 12 Player of the Year.
Contreras leads all of college baseball in RBIs with 89 on the season. His .404 batting average is 8th in the nation. Tuesday he was also named WAC player of the year.
The winner of the Golden Spikes Award is announced June 24 and you can vote for Melendez and Contreras to take home the top honor.
Both Melendez and Contreras are in action this week in tournament play.
Melendez and the Longhorns play Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Big 12 tournament, while Contreras and Sam Houston State play New Mexico State at 1 p.m. in the WAC tournament.