CHICKASHA, Okla. – A pair of former USAO baseball players earned the experience and opportunity of a lifetime, representing their home country in front of sold-out Major League Baseball stadiums at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Last month, Puerto Rico announced their roster for the highly anticipated tournament, and Angel Reyes (2018) and Ricardo Velez (2019-21) were selected to represent their country alongside a plethora of big leaguers.
Professional baseball is one of those sports that does not have a true "off-season", with many players returning to their homes and playing in the local professional leagues. Despite never being teammates while at USAO, Velez and Reyes have been teammates before representing Puerto Rico in the 2024 Caribbean World Series.
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is the premier international baseball tournament where top professional players represent their home countries, sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and organized by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA). Held every four years, it showcases global talent, featuring stars from MLB and other leagues competing for national pride.
In the latest installment of the WBC, the two former Drovers held opponents scoreless. Ricardo Velez made two appearances in the tournament and struck out one batter in 1.2 innings, while Reyes made two appearances and struck out a batter in 1.1 innings of relief.
Angel Reyes was an elite pitcher for the 2018 Drover squad that went 46-8 and won the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season championship and the conference tournament championship, followed by a run in the NAIA national tournament. Prior to being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round of the 2018 MLB draft, Reyes made 28 appearances for the Drovers and finished the season with a 4-1 record and 11 saves in 44 innings pitched. He concluded the season with a 3.07 earned run average and 54 strikeouts. For his tremendous efforts, Reyes was awarded a first-team All-SAC selection in 2018. Although other Drovers have played for MLB organizations following Reyes's departure, he is still the most recent player to be drafted. In total, USAO has produced five MLB draft picks.
Reyes has played in the Detroit Tigers organization for six seasons and is currently a free agent, but following his performance at the WBC, he’ll likely once again sign with an MLB organization in the near future.
Ricardo Velez was a raw talent when he arrived on campus in the fall of 2018, and through an immense amount of hard work, he quickly developed into one of the most powerful pitchers in the NAIA. He helped lead the Drovers to two SAC regular season championships, two SAC Tournament championships, and two NAIA national tournament appearances, including a semi-finalist (3rd Place) finish at the 2019 NAIA World Series.
In his career at USAO, Velez earned a NAIA All-American selection, a first-team All-SAC selection, NAIA Pitcher of the Week, and was selected to the 2019 NAIA World Series All-Tournament Team. In 45 career appearances, Velez produced a 15-3 record, with a 2.83 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 146.1 innings pitched. In the program records, he ranks third in strikeouts and sixth in earned run average.
Following a stellar spring season with the Drovers in 2021, Velez pitched in the United Shores Professional Baseball League for the Eastside Diamond Hoppers. He shone in the league, earning an all-star selection and the attention of Major League Baseball organizations. The Minnesota Twins announced the free-agent signing of Ricardo Velez in July of 2021, and he remained in the Twins organization for four seasons. In 2025, Velez pitched at the AA level for the St. Louis Cardinals, and just recently signed with the Texas Rangers for the 2026 season.