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Ruger Riojas earns SEC co-pitcher of the week honors

by: Justin Nash03/30/26

Junior right hander Ruger Riojas picked up his second weekly SEC honors of his career, sharing co-pitcher of the week with the Florida pitcher Jackson Barberi. The last time Riojas picked up pitcher of the week honors was on March 31st, 2025. The end of March seems to be favorable for the right hander.

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Riojas helped the Longhorns pick up their largest win in the Red River Shootout history by shutout in a 14-0 victory over the then-No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners. Pitching a 7.0-inning complete game, this was the first complete game shutout since Pete Hansen’s dominant 9.0-inning performance over No. 23 TCU on April 8th, 2022.

Riojas struck out eight batters in seven innings of play, and allowed six hits. He’s the fourth Longhorn to earn an SEC weekly honor in 2026 along with Dylan Volantis, Temo Becerra, and Sam Cozart.

Players of the Week, according to the SEC

Co-Player of the Week
Seth Dardar, LSU
Second baseman Seth Dardar led LSU to an SEC series victory over No. 19 Kentucky last weekend, batting .600 (6-for-10) with four doubles, one homer, five RBI, four runs, three walks and a .692 on-base percentage. Dardar’s three-run homer in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game versus Kentucky erased a 10-8 deficit and gave LSU a lead it would not relinquish as the Tigers clinched the series win. Dardar also contributed an RBI double in Sunday’s series-deciding victory. Dardar on Friday night versus Kentucky tied the LSU single-game record for doubles with three, and he added one RBI in the contest. He walked three times and scored twice in the Tigers’ Game 2 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

Co-Player of the Week
Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s Gavin Grahovac logged four home runs, 12 RBI, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, four walks, and was hit by a pitch in the Aggies’ three-game sweep at Missouri. He recorded an OBP of .600 and a slugging percentage of 1.600 in the series. In Saturday’s contest, Grahovac went 2-for-5 with a pair of homers, three runs, five RBI and two walks. He knocked a three-run shot in the third inning and a two-run bomb in the fifth. On Sunday, Grahovac logged a career-high seven RBI, and registered two home runs for the second consecutive game. His first homer of the contest was a three-run shot in the second inning. In the third inning, he knocked a grand slam to deep center field.

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Ruger Riojas, Texas
Against No. 8 Oklahoma, Ruger Riojas became the first Longhorn to post a complete game shutout since Pete Hansen accomplished the feat against TCU on April 8, 2022. Riojas struck out eight across seven scoreless innings, scattering six hits along the way. The righty earned his fifth win in his first seven starts, as No. 2 Texas notched its largest shutout victory in Red River Rivalry history.

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Jackson Barberi, Florida
Florida sophomore Jackson Barberi pitched 6 1/3 innings with zero earned runs allowed, giving up just one hit and two walks while striking out 13 batters vs. a pair of top-10 opponents. He threw 3.0 shutout, one-hit innings to secure the save vs. No. 10 FSU before firing another 3 1/3 no-hit innings to earn the series-clinching victory at No. 4 Arkansas. Facing No. 10 FSU at a neutral-site on Tuesday, the right-hander fanned six Seminoles, then proceeded to punch out seven without issuing a free pass on Saturday at No. 4 Arkansas. Clinching the series for the Gators against the Razorbacks, Barberi retired the first-nine batters he faced in order.

Freshman of the Week
Jorian Wilson, Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s Jorian Wilson went 6-for-12 at the plate with two homers, a double, three runs, four RBI, one walk and one stolen base to help the Aggies to a 4-0 week. The freshman made the start in right field in Tuesday’s midweek with HCU, blasting a solo homer and drawing a walk. Wilson started two of three games in the series at Missouri, going 5-for-9 at the plate in the two games. On Friday night, Wilson was 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base and a run scored. Both of his hits came in the fourth inning and went for extra bases. He led off the frame with a solo homer, and drove in two runs on a double down the right field line in his second at-bat of the frame. In Sunday’s contest, Wilson logged a career-high three hits and scored a run.

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