From Las Cruces High to NMSU, Steve Solorzano's dream is now a reality

Solorzano's dream was to be like those players. Today, that dream is a reality.

And not only that, but he's one of the Aggies' best. Solorzano is hitting .327, leads all qualified NM State players in home runs (eight) and RBIs (44), and routinely bats at the top of coach Jake Angier's lineup.

Solorzano isn't just a key ingredient in the Aggies' offense; he's the hometown hero. Fans shout his name when he comes to the plate. Children clamor for his attention in the on-deck circle. His hits bring some of the loudest pops of the game.

Every game is a chance to give back to them.

"I look up in the stands, or there are times when I'm taking swings, and I can hear, 'Stevie! Stevie! Solo!'" Solorzano told the Sun-News. "They're just little kids just trying to get my attention, because they know who I am. It means a little bit more."

Solorzano isn't the only exceptional baseball player to come out of Las Cruces recently. Most notably, Steven Milam started for LSU's national championship team last season. But Solorzano is someone who chose to stay.

He set an example by doing that. To show that he could make it in his hometown. To show Las Cruces youngsters that they can also be great. To show that the City of Crosses is more than what it seems.

"I want to bring something back to my community," Solorzano said. "There's not much coming from Las Cruces, New Mexico... I think there are five of us now that are major (Division I) players, and you don't hear that very often coming out of Las Cruces. Usually, you've got guys going to (junior colleges) or D-II and D-III.

"My goal has always been to bring stuff back to Las Cruces. To show that we do belong in some of these big talks."

'The earliest memories I have are me with a bat and ball'

The day an infant Solorzano was brought home, his older brother handed him a baseball glove.

That captures the Solorzano family in a nutshell. They love baseball and softball, and they all love to play. Solorzano grew up watching his older brother, George, play high school baseball. His father, also named George, played baseball at Organ Mountain High School. His older sister, Alicia, played softball at Las Cruces High School.

The youngest of five, Solorzano was the last to carry on the family tradition, and baseball consumed his childhood. It was the first thing on his mind when he woke up or went to sleep. When he wasn't playing baseball, he was watching it on television or watching his siblings play. You'd be hard-pressed to find Solorzano anywhere other than a ballpark.

"Some of the earliest memories I have are me with a bat and ball in my hand," Solorzano said. "That's been, for me, the biggest aspect of my life."

Solorzano’s first baseball memory was an unassisted triple play in T-ball at age 5, where he managed to tag out all three runners amid the chaos of children not knowing where to run. He played his first game as an infielder, still his position today, by being a stubborn 6-year-old. Solorzano's T-ball coach wanted him in the outfield, but he refused.

"He said, 'Coach, the outfield is boring. I'm gonna play three base.' And instead of third, he said three," Alicia told the Sun-News. "After that, he went into the infield and never came back out of it."

Solorzano knew he could hit well early. He never thought of himself as a power hitter, but Solorzano knew he could get good contact on the ball. He does remember his first home run, though, and how it felt like there was only one witness to it.

"I remember nobody was there but my dad, and I thought it was hilarious," Solorzano said. "I was playing a little tournament here in Las Cruces, and it's a 2-strike count. I put my foot down and hit the ball, put my head down and ran. The only thing I really remember was the feeling of making contact compared to hitting a home run is different, and I didn't know that until that point."

Solorzano's father witnessed a lot more than just his son's first home run. He was a massive influence on his life. George's 20 years of military service meant the family moved around a lot, from New Mexico to Texas to California. Solorzano attended more than 10 schools growing up.

Solorzano was pushed by his father "the most out of anybody." He practiced with him constantly at a baseball park, at home or at The Clubhouse, a batting cage in Las Cruces owned by Solorzano's parents. He learned how to be mentally strong, how to deal with failure and how to approach others for help.

Watching his father's service, as well as his brother's when he joined the Army, also taught Solorzano about sacrifice. The military isn't in Solorzano's plans, but he wants to emulate its spirit. Solorzano wants to feel like he's giving back to Las Cruces, and baseball is how he does that.

"It's shown me that there are people out there that are sacrificing more than I am, and I just want to make sure that I can give back," Solorzano said. "The military side keeps me going a little bit, where you put your head down and work your butt off. There are some people who are doing more for us than just playing baseball."

'A pleasure to have him for four years'

Gil Padilla first saw Solorzano in a youth league at age 11. He knew right away that Solorzano would be special.

"He was a standout player back then," the Las Cruces High baseball coach told the Sun-News. "The way he competes, the way he gets after it, he was a physically dominant person back then. At the age of 11, he was bigger, stronger and faster than all the other kids."

Solorzano joined Padilla's Bulldawgs team in 2020 and immediately became a starter. Just like his first baseball memory, his first high school memory was a triple play. That would be it, though, as the season ended after four games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Padilla says Solorzano spent that extended offseason becoming more coachable, but also being a coach. He advised incoming freshmen and his teammates, even if they were upperclassmen. It was like Padilla had another assistant coach.

"They would discuss situations or techniques and things like that, and he would coach," Padilla said. "He would be a coach. He was a coach on the field, and he was a coach in the locker room. It was a pleasure to have him for four years."

It isn't just Padilla who says it. His teammates say it, too.

"I've picked so much from his brain," said Joaquin Pfeiffer, Solorzano's teammate at LCHS, told the Sun-News. "Going into my freshman year of college this year... I had an injury, and he's come back from his injuries. I just picked his brain on how to come back from that, and how to live on your own, be your own person, understanding what coaches are trying to say and then picking their brains to become a better baseball player."

Solorzano became one of the Bulldawgs' best. He left LCHS as a three-time All-State player (with two selections in 2023 as a pitcher and catcher), the 2023 District 3-5A Player of the Year and as Perfect Game's No. 22-ranked third baseman in the nation. Solorzano batted .441 from his sophomore to senior seasons with 65 RBIs, 29 doubles, four triples and nine home runs, and was equally as good on the mound with a 1.47 ERA over that stretch and a Bulldawgs-record 265 strikeouts.

Solorzano had the size and speed that coaches crave, and he spent every offseason honing them. He was always in the weight room and at The Clubhouse, going to the latter so much that Padilla quips he "might have slept in there a couple of times."

But where Solorzano really believes he grew was in his baseball IQ. It was in how he attacked a batter depending on who he was, what the count was and how many were on base. Solorzano did the same in reverse for his batting.

"I was a good pitcher, but I didn't know how to pitch... I learned how to pitch throughout high school." Solorzano said. "I learned what to do in certain situations, what to look for, things like that... The thought process behind the mental side is something I developed a lot in high school."

Solorzano also recognized that he wasn't just on a random youth team; he was playing for his school with "Cruces" emblazoned on his chest. When Solorzano helped the Bulldawgs down an in-city rival or make the playoffs, he knew it didn't just benefit him. He was elevating LCHS.

That influenced his college decision. Once Las Cruces' college team came calling, he wasn't going anywhere else. Not even a push from UCLA could stop him.

"He always wanted to play for the Aggies," Alicia said. "We did grow up here in Las Cruces, and my grandparents would take him to the games... To see him say, 'This could be my home one day, I could actually be an Aggie one day, not just their bat boy.' I think it was a full-circle moment for him. "When he told us, 'I decided I'm gonna be an Aggie,' it was an amazing moment."

Steve Solorzano, a standout player at Las Cruces High School from 2020-23, slides while running back to first base during the first round of the 5A state baseball playoffs against Rio Grande on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Field of Dreams baseball complex.

'Solo did it... Why can't my kiddo do it?'

It took only those four high school games for NM State to offer Solorzano a scholarship in 2020. Now, the Aggies had him.

Well, a different staff did. Mike Kirby was fired in 2023, and Angier took over ahead of the 2024 season. As he and his new staff began calling NM State's recruits to retain them, they knew one man couldn't leave.

Of course, Solorzano was always coming. You'd have to ban him from New Mexico to prevent that.

"It really wasn't until I looked at his name on the incoming player list that I noticed, 'Man, that name sounds familiar,'" said Bellamy, now an Aggies assistant coach. "I get on the phone with him, and I connected the dots, because years had gone by. A pretty full-circle moment there to realize that he's coming into our program."

Steve Solorzano rounds second base looking to take third base on a fielding error as the NMSU Aggies took on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on February 18, 2024, at Presley Askew Field.

Just like at LCHS, Solorzano planned to start as a freshman and followed through. He started his first 12 games and batted .341 in them. Solorzano's first memory at NM State may not have been a triple play, but it was still spectacular when he crushed his first collegiate hit for a home run against South Dakota State. It being a solo home run, like his nickname, made it fitting.

Bad luck halted Solorzano’s momentum when he broke his hand after it got stuck in an umpire's shoe while diving for a ball against Northern Colorado. He returned to play 18 more games and became an All-CUSA Freshman, but Solorzano believed his stripes weren't earned yet.

Solorzano wanted to grow. He was coachable. He leaned on teammates for help. He briefly played in the Cape Cod League and watched everyone intently. It was like he was a young bat boy again, asking players endless questions, except now he was one of them.

"I wanted to be able to pick everybody's brain and talk to everybody as much as possible," Solorzano said. "I wanted to find that balance of playing my role, but also starting to take it in and figure out what's going to be needed of me later in my career here."

That led to an excellent 2025. Solorzano had more power, a better offensive approach and more control of the strike zone. His slugging percentage increased from .464 to .551, his .335 batting average ranked 12th in CUSA and he was a first-team All-CUSA selection as a designated hitter. Solorzano was also voted as the best Las Cruces native in college sports in a Sun-News poll that summer.

Solorzano became NM State's primary leadoff batter in 2026. Angier's reason was simple.

"He's the best hitter on our team," Angier told the Sun-News. "The Dodgers put Shohei Ohtani at leadoff."

Steve Solorzano comes into third base with his tongue hanging out in celebration after hitting a triple in a game against Delaware on April 4, 2026, at Presley Askew Field.

Solorzano continues to produce. Angier lauds his offensive prowess, which is why he slots him first to maximize his at-bats. "He's got all the tools offensively to do what he needs to do," Angier remarked.

But Solorzano is also a leader now. Whether he's leading by example or occasionally leading with words, Solorzano is doing more to be a role model in the dugout.

That's showing in another productive Aggies player. Infielder Chris Daniels didn't play much in 2025 and says his work ethic wasn't good enough. But after being around Solorzano, Daniels started to grow. He began lifting weights with him every day, and then started watching film and practicing his swings alongside him.

Solorzano helped Daniels grow, and he's now batting over .300.

"He pushed me to get stronger and stronger, and our relationship grew," Daniels told the Sun-News. "He's just a great guy to look up to. Knows the game well, he's been around, gets his work in and has all aspects of the game put together. Looking at a guy like that is a really good example."

Solorzano grew up watching players like Nick Gonzales become staples in Las Cruces. He's now a staple himself, and everyone around him believes he has an MLB future. That's on Solorzano's mind: "The goal is to make The Show."

He also hopes to inspire the next generation of local players, whether that's through coaching them at The Clubhouse or telling them they can be like him.

Because back in the day, that was Solorzano. He was the kid who looked up to those representing Las Cruces. Today, that kid is Steve Solorzano. He hopes that, one day, there will be even more Steve Solorzanos.

"I like to use my story to say, 'Hey, I can do it. You can do it,'" Solorzano said. "It's hard to play college baseball. It really is. But I want to be known as a person where it's, 'Hey, Solo did it... Why can't my kiddo do it?"

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: From Las Cruces High to NMSU, Steve Solorzano's dream is now a reality