Alberto Rios considers what it means to be a Stanford Cardinal after big season

Stanford‘s season ended in disappointment at the hands of Tennessee 6-4 on Monday during the College World Series.

After the game, Cardinal catcher Alberto Rios, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs against the Vols, reflected on his team’s 2023 season, during which he put himself on the map as one of the best sluggers in college baseball.

“This place has turned me into a man and has given me best friends for the rest of my life. It has given me the opportunity to express myself as the player and the person I am. And I owe this place everything,” Rios said. “To the head coach and staff, to the players, to the staff, this place is insanely special, and that’s an understatement.

“I think to compete at the highest level and to go to the school that we go to, I think it’s a blessing. And it’s beyond any words that I can comprehend. And this place is second to none in everything. And it shows with our guys, our coaching staff, and what this place has done for me — and what it’s done for me, it’s given me everything.”

Rios made the most of his 2023 season, and, alongside teammate Quinn Mathews, ended up being two of 25 semifinalists for the 2023 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award. Rios, the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year, batted an astounding .481 (26-for-54) during the month of May for the Cardinal, belting eight doubles, eight more home runs and 25 RBI over a 13-game span.

He finished the year batting an impressive .384 average, having knocked in a hit during 93 of his 242 at-bats including 52 extra-base hits (18 home runs) and 73 RBIs. He started in 62 of the Cardinal’s 63 games and was arguably the most efficient bat on the Stanford roster this season — though teammate Tommy Troy’s .394 batting average might have something to say about that.

Still, Rios didn’t crack the starting lineup for Stanford until his third season with the program. Since then, he has wowed fans with his plate performances all season — including an 11 RBI performance against Cal State Bakersfield in March.

Stanford finished the season 44-20 and just wrapped up its third consecutive trip to the College World Series. Although the Cardinal has come up empty-handed in each of those attempts, if Rios elects to return to Stanford next season — that certainly has the potential to change.