FRISCO, Texas – Graduate
Cade Sanchez of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team earned a pair of significant recognitions for his incredible final season with the program on Wednesday afternoon, as it was announced by the league office that he was voted onto both the All-Southland Conference First Team and the All-Defensive Team at second base.
Sanchez, a native of Houston, was the best hitter for the Islanders all season long, leading all qualified players on the team in batting average (.358), on base percentage (.441), slugging percentage (.491), OPS (.932), hits (62), doubles (11), RBIs (31) and total bases (85). His .358 average helped him win the batting title in the Southland this season, leading all qualified hitters in the conference while also finishing seventh in the league in on base percentage, tied for eighth in total hits, 10
th in stolen bases (11 in 12 attempts for a 92 percent success rate), 12
th in OPS, tied for 15
th in doubles and 22
nd in slugging.
In addition to his performance at the plate and on the basepaths, Sanchez excelled in the field, proving to be the cornerstone behind an A&M-Corpus Christi defense that ranked in the top half of the conference in fielding percentage and fewest errors committed. The second baseman tied for 23
rd overall among individual players with a .988 fielding percentage, posting that clip while committing just two errors in 164 total chances and helping to turn 13 double plays.
Sanchez kicked off his standout campaign in grand fashion, earning the first Southland Conference Hitter of the Week Award of the 2026 season after going 7-13 with three doubles, two walks, two HBPs, seven RBIs, four runs scored and two stolen bases while helping the Islanders score 10 or more runs in their first four games for the first time ever en route to a sweep of Stonehill College during the opening weekend. He then followed that up with a signature game against current No. 10 ranked Texas A&M on February 17, going 4-4 with a home run, two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored against the Aggies in College Station.
The best stretch of the season for Sanchez came during a month-long span from March 3 to April 3, when he ripped off an 18-game hitting streak and hit .397 (27-68) with two home runs, three doubles and 12 RBIs. This went down as the fifth-longest hitting streak in A&M-Corpus Christi history, behind only the record 25-gamer from Jeramie Marek in 2009-10, a 22-gamer from Humberto Aguilar in 2003, a 21-gamer from Hall of Honor inductee Jaime Landin in 2003 and a 19-gamer from Michael Shandler in 2001.
"I'm super proud of the senior season that Cade was able to put together," Islanders head coach
Scott Malone said. "Cade developed as an offensive player on the field as well as a big time defender, but more than that, he became a team leader. The total season that he was able to put together has him go down as one of the better second baseman in Islanders history."
The honors mark Sanchez's first postseason recognitions while donning the blue and green, coming in his third year in the program after joining prior to the 2024 campaign. He is the first A&M-Corpus Christi player to be named to the All-Southland Conference First Team since that same season, when his former teammate
Isaac Webb also earned the nod at second base. He also makes it back-to-back seasons with at least one Islander on the All-Defensive Team after
Zach Garcia and
Austin Russell were tabbed at pitcher and first base respectively in 2025.
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