Candelaria named Player of the Year, Five Steers Make All-State Team

A Look Back at Magdalena’s 2025 State Championship

Magdalena sophomore pitcher and shortstop Josiah Candelaria’s triple-shot for All-State honors includes a superlative award as the Class 1A Player of the Year. He leads a five-player selection for the defending state champion Steers (20-3) on the 2025 New Mexico All-State team.

Candelaria pitched the Steers’ semifinal win and played at shortstop in Magdalena’s 7-3 state championship victory over Gateway Christian (15-5). His All-State first-team selection as an infielder wraps up his triple-shot honors.

Joining the party are fellow first-team pitchers Shane Montoya and first-team infielders Ayden Hershbach and Joseph Zamora. Javen Tafoya was Magdalena’s lone second-team selection, and just like his fellow All-State players, he added a special touch to the Steers’ state title.

The Nuggets

Josiah Candelaria

It was Candelaria’s performance on the mound in a gutsy 6-5 win over No. 5 Grady (10-9) that sealed his position as an All-State first team pitcher. The Bronchos twice held two-run leads of 2-0 and 4-2 when the Steers’ generally flawless defense gave up two errors.

The sophomore never wavered, and only two of the runs scored against Candelaria were earned; he mowed down 10 batters. A daunting .99 earned run average almost overshadows his season record of 8-1.

Joseph Zamora

Magdalena’s senior first baseman’s walk-off triple in the Steers’ semifinal win was almost worthy of an all-state selection by itself. Grady tied the game in the top of the seventh inning, but Zamora’s one-out deep shot provided the victory, sending the Steers to their title tilt.

It was business as usual for Zamora, who led the Steers with a .536 average that produced 37 runs, 35 RBI, 12 doubles, two triples and five home runs.

Shane Montoya

Montoya capped a perfect 8-0 season with a nine-strikeout effort in the state championship. No win was more significant than Montoya’s 7-3 victory in the state title game.

The most significant statistic for Montoya in the title battle was his ability to keep Gateway from launching a shot (The Warriors had five hitters batting .600 or better *MaxPreps), and he gave up no extra base hits in his six-inning performance. His season included 60 strikeouts and just 13 earned runs scored against him in 47.2 innings.

Ayden Hershbach

A senior is expected to lead his teammates and provide a spark when needed. Herschbach punched both tickets with a double and a pair of runs scored in the semifinal matchup.

Herschbach followed that up with an RBI, a run scored, and Magdalena’s only stolen base in the championship. He put up a .503 batting average over 20 games and glittered it with 23 RBI, nine doubles, and a pair of home runs.

Javen Tafoya

Tafoya used his power and speed to provide one of the most exciting moments in the championship series when he stroked a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the bottom of the sixth inning in the semifinals to give the Steers a 5-4 lead.

It was Tafoya’s only home run of the season, and it went along with a .392 season batting average, 26 runs scored, 22 RBI, and seven extra-base hits.

The Coach of the Year

Magdalena’s head baseball coach is 100-percent homegrown, and he remembers the Steers’ first state title won in 1990, a 6-5 win coached by Floyd Mansell against Hot Springs.

That year, Candeleria was on the cusp of turning seven years old, when he was standing on the side of his village’s Main Street cheering and waving at the Steers on their sendoff.

Now, 35 years later, he’s the NMAA New Mexico Baseball Coach of the Year. It’s a lifetime achievement because only one coach in the state is awarded the honor each year.

When asked to review what his team had accomplished with its 17-0 run to close out the season, Candelaria had a workman’s attitude.

“I don’t really worry about winning until we get to district. I’m just trying to get better every game. Especially with the guys that we had in our lineup, our pitchers and our hitters, that was never a second of doubt or a second of worry,” Candelaria said. “I just felt like our pitchers were always going to throw strikes, and we had the depth of offense and hitting that could get us going at any time.”

Prospecting

To some people, Magdalena’s state title win might have looked improbable at the start of the season.

The Steers were 1-2 and 3-3 March, but Magdalena’s first two losses came against Hozho Academy (5-4) and Mesilla Valley Christian School (6-7), which both won 2A district titles and combined for a 19-0 league record.

More than anything, coach Candelaria was waiting for some basketball rust to wear off four of his All-State basketball players.

A narrow 2-0 loss against 4A state quarterfinalist Chaparral was the final blemish on the Steers’ season. It was a turning point, and junior pitcher Matthew Lopez turned in a gem as he tossed a four-hitter over six innings, but Magdalena was still polishing the bats.

There they were 3-3, and just four runs against separating the Steers from a 6-0 mark and wins against three playoff teams.

What followed was worthy of a Hollywood tale. A little kid from a “Mayberry of America” grows up to build his state championship team through hard work and the dedication of his community and players.

Hitting the Mother Lode

When the bats that had been whispered about the whole offseason finally showed up, it was a dam bursting and flooded over the competition.

The Steers ripped off 17 straight quality wins, a stretch that included 13 straight 10-run rule victories and three shutouts. All fueled by a 239-43 run margin, that aforementioned “dam burst” being the Steers had already scored 70 runs four games into their perfect April and May.

The Steers were maturing and gaining confidence with every victory. Magdalena was getting salty.

“They have been taught from the time they were little that they aren’t going to get in trouble for being aggressive. It’s what we expect from them. It’s the little things, like when we hesitate, or when we know we should have, but we didn’t. Those are the moments when the boys get in trouble, but they never get in trouble for being overly aggressive,” Candelaria said.

Winning 17 straight games is no small feat, and now that some time has passed since the Steers’ title win, Candelaria has had time to reflect on his team’s remarkable run.

“I’ve never been a part of anything like it as a player or a coach. It’s not even something we focus on. When we get together and talk between innings, we always talk about winning the next inning. We have to win the next inning,” Candelaria said.

If you dig deeper, Magdalena’s dominance is even bigger than advertised.

“We went on a big stretch where we won every single inning of every single game, and we did it all through district. That was our mentality and our goal when we got to the state tournament. When we fell behind early in that semifinal game, we talked about winning every inning and not panicking, because we still had a lot of time to go, so we just needed to win the inning,” Candelaria said.

Closing it out

Candelaria would rather discuss his players than being selected as the New Mexico Baseball Coach of the Year, but before closing this one out, there’s the question of what it’s been like since that announcement.

“It’s been cool because I’ve gotten calls and text messages from lots of former players, congratulating me and the boys. I’m happy about my award, but that’s not what I care about, and it’s not why I’m coaching,” Candelaria said. “What I’m prouder of is the All-State awards the boys received, the all-district awards, and the state championship. That’s why I’m here. I want to help every one of those boys become better humans, and I feel like I was successful in doing that, not only this year, but as a coach for the last 10-12 years.”We couldn’t agree more.

The 2025 Steers Roster

No. 1 Tristan Alvarez

No. 2 Ayden Herschbach

No. 4 Zeb Apachito

No. 5 Joseph Zamora

No. 6 Paul Chavez-Lopez

No. 9 Matthew Lopez

No. 10 Josiah Candelaria

No. 11 Jeffery Stuteville

No. 13 Shane Montoya

No. 16 Javen Tafoya

No. 21 Jayden Piasso

No. 81 Josh Vigil

Manager Amaris Candelaria

Manager Flint Apachito

Assitant Coach Herbert Ray

Head Coach Kyl Candelaria