Hall of Fame
In 1979, a future Ranger great on the Baseball diamond, Steve Nunez, stepped onto the field for the Northwestern Oklahoma State Baseball team and became one of the greatest players in Northwestern history, accumulating staggering stats along the way.
The Roswell, N.M. native came to Northwestern from Goddard High School where he was a stellar player in the prep ranks. As a junior at Goddard, he was clearly preparing for his bright future as he was named a Great Southwest Honorable Mention selected by the National Prep Magazine, a 1977 South All-Star Team member, and an All-District selection in the same season.
His fantastic prep career put him on many different university’s radar, but luckily for Ranger Nation, he ultimately chose Northwestern as his future home for four seasons.
In Nunez’s first season in a Ranger uniform in 1979, he got off to a quick start, capturing the Northwestern homerun title with an astonishing 23, which stands to this day. Also during his first season, he led the team in eight different categories, including HR’s (23), RBI’s (59), Batting Avg. (.355), Hits (66), Total Bases (150) Stolen Bases (17), Slugging Pct. (.806, 5th All-Time), and Runs Scored (51).
His stellar performance on the diamond during his inaugural season led to an All-District selection, which was much deserved.
The illustrious career was just getting started however as in 1980 he belted another 16 homeruns and led his team again in several categories.
Nunez didn’t disappoint in the ’81 season either as he smacked 15 more homers, collected 36 RBI’s and an incredible .406 batting average, leading the team. He was again honored in the postseason as an All-District player.
The Nunez legacy continued as in his final season as a member of the Ranger Baseball team rivaled his freshman season as he kept up the pace for HR’s, putting 17 over the fence. His unbelievable power led him to break the NAIA All-Time record for bombs with 64 throughout his career as a Ranger. He also broke the school record in the process, which also stands to this day.
His 1982 season also led to the prestigious honor of being named the District Player of the Year for the OIC.
One of the things the Northwestern community loves to hear is the career after they leave Alva, and Nunez is another in a long line of former student-athletes that has had tremendous success in future endeavors.
Upon finishing his bachelor’s degree in 1994, he went on to be the golf coach at his former high school, where the team had tremendous success, leading two consecutive teams in ’95 and ’96 to two-straight second place finishes in the state tournament.
In 1997, the golf team finished at the top of the ladder, as Nunez led them to a State title.
Not only was he a successful golf coach at Goddard High, but also became the Head Baseball Coach in 2005, where he remained through the 2011 season.
During his time there at the helm of the baseball team, Nunez was named the “Character Counts of Chavez County” Coach of the Year, four different times, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Throughout his entire career, he expressed that his fondest memories, is not of his own playing or coaching days, but the day his son, Chris, was drafted out of high school by the Miami Marlins. So not only was he a great player and a great coach, but was also a proud dad.
Steve is currently the PE coach at Roswell Independent School District. He and his wife Dee Ann reside in Roswell and have two children, Chris and Taylor.
