Ryan Aguayo is in his fourth season as UTSA’s assistant coach, recruiting and offensive coordinator in 2023. He joined the staff in July of 2019.
Aguayo has had a major impact through his first three seasons, helping shepherd UTSA through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020 and spearheading a rapidly rising offensive attack in 2021 and 2022 that ranked as some of the nation’s best, breaking multiple school records.
In 2022, Aguayo oversaw a Roadrunner lineup that had eight players above the at-bat threshold have .300+ batting averages. UTSA’s offense produced 467 runs on the year, tying the school record for most in a single season set back in 2008. The Roadrunner offense also produced 440 RBI, setting a new school record.
UTSA led Conference USA in batting average (.304), hits (627), triples (15) and sacrifice flies (36). The Roadrunners also ranked top-40 nationally in multiple offensive categories. The .304 batting average was the 23rd highest in the country while their on-base percentage (.400) ranked 25th. UTSA was also 25th in scoring, averaging 8.1 runs a game and had the 31st most hits in the country.
Five returning Roadrunners increased their batting average in 2022 under Aguayo’s tutelage. Senior Chase Keng brought home a C-USA Hitter of the Week award (5/23) thanks to his stellar play.
After the Roadrunners played just 17 games over four weeks in 2020 before the season was cancelled, Aguayo helped lead an explosive attack at the plate in 2021.
UTSA finished the year ranked among the nation’s top-25 in several categories, including ninth in runs per game (7.9), 18th in batting average (.302), 19th in slugging percentage (.480) and 21st in on-base percentage (.396). The Roadrunners also ranked 26th in hit by pitches.
The offensive surge under Aguayo was boosted by the performance of a pair of all-conference standouts, including catcher Nick Thornquist and infielder Griffin Paxton. Thornquist earned first-team honors behind the plate while leading all league catchers in average (.331), homers (13) and RBI (47), with Paxton leading UTSA with a .335 average.
Paxton’s season was buoyed by his power surge as the senior slugged his first seven career homers under the tutelage of Aguayo, adding a team-high 16 doubles while driving in 43 runs. He was not the only player who developed a power stroke under Aguayo, as shortstop Joshua Lamb belted his first five career homers in his fourth season, while setting new career marks in batting average (.324) and RBI (39).
Aguayo’s first season in 2020 was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic but he helped lead UTSA to a 10-7 record that included winning Notre Dame’s Irish Alamo Classic with a 3-1 record that included a win over the Fighting Irish.
Prior to UTSA, Aguayo served as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word from 2015-19, including the previous two with Hallmark, primarily as the hitting coach. He also worked with the infielders and recruiting. Under his guidance, three players earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors over the last two seasons.
UIW outfielder Ridge Rogers earned a spot on the team after the 2018 campaign, after posting a .350 (72-for-206), with 34 runs scored and driving in 34 runs. Catcher Taylor Smith hit .322 (49-for-208), including 11 doubles, 16 home runs and four triples with 42 runs scored and 35 RBIs, securing his spot on the 2019 team. Third baseman Antonio Valdez was named to the 2019 squad after posting a .302 average (65-for-215), including 14 doubles, six triples and four home runs, scoring 52 runs and driving in 31.
In Aguayo’s first season with the Cardinals, the defense posted the third-highest fielding percentage in school history, while the offense’s batting average and slugging percentage improved from the previous campaign. In 2019 UIW established a Division I era school record’s in defense and batting average. The Cardinals committed just 50 errors in 2,209 chances and posted a .305 (622-for-2,038) team batting average with 64 home runs in 59 games. They led the Southland Conference in all three categories, ranking 14thin the nation in batting average, 31stin fielding percentage and 47thin home runs.
Aguayo served as an assistant on the Cuesta College staff in 2013-14, which claimed consecutive conference championships and the school’s 18thand 19thpostseason berths in a row. More than a dozen players advanced to play for major college programs.
He served as the associate head coach from 2011-14 with the San Luis Obispo Blues of the California Collegiate Summer League helping guide the team to back-to-back CCL championships in 2011 and 2012. Aguayo played for the Blues from 2008-10 and was named to the All-CCL team twice.
Aguayo began his collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cuesta College where he assisted the Cougars to a 24-14 record and a Western State Conference Championship title in 2009. He hit .401 with an on-base percentage of .470, scoring 57 runs and driving in 56. His list of postseason awards included, All-Southern California First Team, all-state honors, Western State Conference Player of the Year and his team’s Most Valuable Player.
After a successful 2009 season, he transferred to New Mexico State and played 118 games in two seasons, compiling a .351 average (156-for-445), with 44 doubles and 17 home runs. He scored 124 runs and registered 125 RBIs. As a junior, he garnered All-WAC honors and was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award – given annually to the nation’s top shortstop - after recording 92 hits, including 14 doubles and 12 long balls and scoring 76 runs. He earned All-WAC academic honors in 2010 and graduated from New Mexico State with a bachelor’s degree of individualized studies with a minor in business associates, marketing and management.
In high school, Aguayo played shortstop and second base for the Servite Friars in Anaheim, California. He was a two-time all-league honoree and was the 2006 Orange County All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. During his senior campaign, he helped lead the Friars to an 18-7 mark, capturing the league championship. He played on the USA Youth National team in 2004 and was a selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 Amateur Draft.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT AGUAYO
“Ryan has done an awesome job of recruiting and developing players. He’s had my respect long before his UIW days. He’s hard working, loyal and can really coach young men. He’s one of the top up and coming assistant coaches in the country.” – Seth Thibodaux, Nicholls Head Coach
“Having known Ryan for over 10 years as a player and coach, UTSA is getting a tremendous person and great young coach. He will be a great leader of young men. I have nothing but high praise for Ryan and wish the program much success.” - Chal Fanning, Cal Poly Assistant Coach
“Ryan was an extremely important piece of the turnaround that occurred at UIW. As anyone in college athletics knows, you’re only as good as the players that are on your roster. Ryan did an unbelievable job at bringing in an extremely talented roster in a not so easy situation to recruit to. Ryan is the definition of hard work and when you pair his work ethic with his ability to diagnose talent and build relationships, you easily see why he has had tremendous success so early in his career. UTSA is lucky to have a recruiter like coach Aguayo.” – Nick Magnifico, Southern Illinois Assistant Coach
Aguayo has had a major impact through his first three seasons, helping shepherd UTSA through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020 and spearheading a rapidly rising offensive attack in 2021 and 2022 that ranked as some of the nation’s best, breaking multiple school records.
In 2022, Aguayo oversaw a Roadrunner lineup that had eight players above the at-bat threshold have .300+ batting averages. UTSA’s offense produced 467 runs on the year, tying the school record for most in a single season set back in 2008. The Roadrunner offense also produced 440 RBI, setting a new school record.
UTSA led Conference USA in batting average (.304), hits (627), triples (15) and sacrifice flies (36). The Roadrunners also ranked top-40 nationally in multiple offensive categories. The .304 batting average was the 23rd highest in the country while their on-base percentage (.400) ranked 25th. UTSA was also 25th in scoring, averaging 8.1 runs a game and had the 31st most hits in the country.
Five returning Roadrunners increased their batting average in 2022 under Aguayo’s tutelage. Senior Chase Keng brought home a C-USA Hitter of the Week award (5/23) thanks to his stellar play.
After the Roadrunners played just 17 games over four weeks in 2020 before the season was cancelled, Aguayo helped lead an explosive attack at the plate in 2021.
UTSA finished the year ranked among the nation’s top-25 in several categories, including ninth in runs per game (7.9), 18th in batting average (.302), 19th in slugging percentage (.480) and 21st in on-base percentage (.396). The Roadrunners also ranked 26th in hit by pitches.
The offensive surge under Aguayo was boosted by the performance of a pair of all-conference standouts, including catcher Nick Thornquist and infielder Griffin Paxton. Thornquist earned first-team honors behind the plate while leading all league catchers in average (.331), homers (13) and RBI (47), with Paxton leading UTSA with a .335 average.
Paxton’s season was buoyed by his power surge as the senior slugged his first seven career homers under the tutelage of Aguayo, adding a team-high 16 doubles while driving in 43 runs. He was not the only player who developed a power stroke under Aguayo, as shortstop Joshua Lamb belted his first five career homers in his fourth season, while setting new career marks in batting average (.324) and RBI (39).
Aguayo’s first season in 2020 was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic but he helped lead UTSA to a 10-7 record that included winning Notre Dame’s Irish Alamo Classic with a 3-1 record that included a win over the Fighting Irish.
Prior to UTSA, Aguayo served as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word from 2015-19, including the previous two with Hallmark, primarily as the hitting coach. He also worked with the infielders and recruiting. Under his guidance, three players earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors over the last two seasons.
UIW outfielder Ridge Rogers earned a spot on the team after the 2018 campaign, after posting a .350 (72-for-206), with 34 runs scored and driving in 34 runs. Catcher Taylor Smith hit .322 (49-for-208), including 11 doubles, 16 home runs and four triples with 42 runs scored and 35 RBIs, securing his spot on the 2019 team. Third baseman Antonio Valdez was named to the 2019 squad after posting a .302 average (65-for-215), including 14 doubles, six triples and four home runs, scoring 52 runs and driving in 31.
In Aguayo’s first season with the Cardinals, the defense posted the third-highest fielding percentage in school history, while the offense’s batting average and slugging percentage improved from the previous campaign. In 2019 UIW established a Division I era school record’s in defense and batting average. The Cardinals committed just 50 errors in 2,209 chances and posted a .305 (622-for-2,038) team batting average with 64 home runs in 59 games. They led the Southland Conference in all three categories, ranking 14thin the nation in batting average, 31stin fielding percentage and 47thin home runs.
Aguayo served as an assistant on the Cuesta College staff in 2013-14, which claimed consecutive conference championships and the school’s 18thand 19thpostseason berths in a row. More than a dozen players advanced to play for major college programs.
He served as the associate head coach from 2011-14 with the San Luis Obispo Blues of the California Collegiate Summer League helping guide the team to back-to-back CCL championships in 2011 and 2012. Aguayo played for the Blues from 2008-10 and was named to the All-CCL team twice.
Aguayo began his collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cuesta College where he assisted the Cougars to a 24-14 record and a Western State Conference Championship title in 2009. He hit .401 with an on-base percentage of .470, scoring 57 runs and driving in 56. His list of postseason awards included, All-Southern California First Team, all-state honors, Western State Conference Player of the Year and his team’s Most Valuable Player.
After a successful 2009 season, he transferred to New Mexico State and played 118 games in two seasons, compiling a .351 average (156-for-445), with 44 doubles and 17 home runs. He scored 124 runs and registered 125 RBIs. As a junior, he garnered All-WAC honors and was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award – given annually to the nation’s top shortstop - after recording 92 hits, including 14 doubles and 12 long balls and scoring 76 runs. He earned All-WAC academic honors in 2010 and graduated from New Mexico State with a bachelor’s degree of individualized studies with a minor in business associates, marketing and management.
In high school, Aguayo played shortstop and second base for the Servite Friars in Anaheim, California. He was a two-time all-league honoree and was the 2006 Orange County All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. During his senior campaign, he helped lead the Friars to an 18-7 mark, capturing the league championship. He played on the USA Youth National team in 2004 and was a selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 Amateur Draft.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT AGUAYO
“Ryan has done an awesome job of recruiting and developing players. He’s had my respect long before his UIW days. He’s hard working, loyal and can really coach young men. He’s one of the top up and coming assistant coaches in the country.” – Seth Thibodaux, Nicholls Head Coach
“Having known Ryan for over 10 years as a player and coach, UTSA is getting a tremendous person and great young coach. He will be a great leader of young men. I have nothing but high praise for Ryan and wish the program much success.” - Chal Fanning, Cal Poly Assistant Coach
“Ryan was an extremely important piece of the turnaround that occurred at UIW. As anyone in college athletics knows, you’re only as good as the players that are on your roster. Ryan did an unbelievable job at bringing in an extremely talented roster in a not so easy situation to recruit to. Ryan is the definition of hard work and when you pair his work ethic with his ability to diagnose talent and build relationships, you easily see why he has had tremendous success so early in his career. UTSA is lucky to have a recruiter like coach Aguayo.” – Nick Magnifico, Southern Illinois Assistant Coach