DENVER, Colo. – The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame has officially released its 2025 Athletes of the Year, and Regis Baseball's Adam Paniagua has been named the organization's Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year.
Each year, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inducts a Pro Athlete of the Year, a Male and Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year, a Male and Female High School Athlete of the Year, and an Athlete with Disabilities Award recipient for their accomplishments in the calendar year, alongside the Hall of Fame Class.
Paniagua is the first Ranger to ever be selected for this award.
In 2025, Paniagua produced one of the most prolific baseball seasons in Colorado history in 2025. The senior catcher earned the NCAA DII crown in runs batted in (100), RBI per game (1.96), and slugging % (.970). His RBI marks led all divisions of college baseball, and set not only Regis records, but Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference records, and Colorado collegiate baseball records across all divisions as well. Paniagua was the 2025 Colorado collegiate leader in hits/game (1.76) and total bases (195), while ranking top three hits (90), home runs (27), home runs per game (.53), batting average (.448), doubles (22), runs (74), and runs per game (1.45).
Overall, Paniagua started all 51 games and produced 90 hits on .448 batting average, including 22 doubles, one triple, and 27 home runs. He batted in 100 runs, with a .970 slugging % and .534 on-base %. He was walked 32 times, and hit by 10 pitches, while posting four sacrifice flies, and stealing three bases. Defensively, he recorded 302 putouts and 30 assists on .994 fielding percentage, catching 18 runners stealing.
The Phoenix, Ariz. native led the Rangers to a program record 35 wins, as well as team records in slugging % (.607), on base % (.465), runs scored (560), doubles (139), home runs (86), RBIs (520), total bases (1069), and 34 runs scored in a single game.
He collected a plethora of awards both on the field and in the classroom, including the Perfect Game Baseball Player of the Year, D2 Baseball First-Team All-America, ABCA First-Team All-America, D2CCA First Team All-America, NCBWA First Team All-America, CSC Second Team Academic All-America, ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-South Central Region, D2CCA First Team All-South Central Region, NCBWA First Team All-South Central Region, RMAC Player of the Year, First Team All-RMAC, RMAC All-Tournament Team, Golden Spikes Watchlist (only D2 player on the List), 1x NCBWA National Hitter of the Week, 1x NCBWA Regional Hitter of the Week, 2x RMAC Player of the Week, CSC Academic All-District, and RMAC Academic Honor Roll.
After graduating from Regis with a Masters in Project Leadership and Management, Paniagua signed with the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League.
Following voting that concluded on Sunday, the Selection Committee of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame picked Adam Paniagua (Regis baseball) and Katherine Higgins (CSU Pueblo track and field) as the College Athletes of the Year, and Lucy Thompson (Legend softball and flag football) and Elijah Womack (Montrose football and lacrosse) as the High School Athletes of the Year. Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) was named the Pro Athlete of the Year, and Ri Armstrong was selected for the Athlete with Disabilities Award.
Paniagua and the other Athletes of the Year will be honored at the 61st annual Induction and Awards Banquet, set for April 16, at the Hilton Denver City Center, along with the impending Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductees: Steve Foley, Lafayette "Fat" Lever, Kordell Stewart, Beatriz "Gigi" Fernandez, Wendy Koenig and Harry Hollines.
Since its inception in 1965, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 292 individuals, not including the Class of 2026. The first class of inductees featured Earl "Dutch" Clark, Jack Dempsey and former Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White. Mikaela Shiffrin, Larry Brown, Troy Tulowitzki, Simon Fletcher, Lisa Van Goor and Theodore "Bubbles" Anderson were inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame last April.
The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is located at Gate 1 on the west side of Empower Field at Mile High.
Tickets for the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Banquet are $250 each and sponsor tables start at $3,000. For additional ticket and table information, please contact the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. For more information, click here.
