Former Sweetwater Valley Little League World Series standout Ariel Armas earns collegiate Gold Glove award

07/01/2024

web.armas_0781 — Ariel Armas takes his cuts at the plate as a member of St. Augustine High School. Photo by Phillip Brents

Ariel Armas showcased his skills at the 2015 Little League World Series with Sweetwater Valley Little League. He showcased his skills behind the plate as a junior at the University of San Diego after being recognized as the top defensive catcher in all of amateur baseball when he was selected to the nine-player 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association /Rawlings Gold Glove Team.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team was selected by the ABCA NCAA Division I All-America and Coach of the Year Committee. ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners have been selected since 2007 in the collegiate and high school ranks and have featured several future Major League Baseball players.

Armas, the 2024 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 All-WCC First Team selection, and one of 16 semifinalists for the 2024 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, started 55 of the Toreros’ 56 games at catcher this season, posting a .998 fielding percentage while throwing out 15 would-be base stealers and leading the nation with 18.69 Defensive Runs Saved (according to 6-4-3 Charts, as of June 5) — 3.58 more runs saved than the next closest player.

The Chula Vista native who prepped at nearby St. Augustine High School is the first Torero to earn Gold Glove honors in school history.

Rounding out the nine-member team are Nicholls State senior Edgar Alvarez (first base), Morehead State graduate student Nick Gooden (second base), James Madison sophomore Wyatt Peifer (third base), Virginia junior Griff O’Ferrall (shortstop), Oregon senor Bryce Boettcher (outfield), North Carolina junior Vance Honeycutt (outfield), East Carolina junior Ryley Johnson (outfield) and West Virginia senior Derek Clark (pitcher).

For those watching live on television at the time, Armas was involved in the celebrated rundown along the third base line in the West Region championship game that ended with a tag to cement Sweetwater Valley’s history-making trip to the 2015 Little League World Series in Pennsylvania.