SPACE COWBOYS NAME TEAM AWARDS FOR 2025
SUGAR LAND, TX – The Sugar Land Space Cowboys have announced their team awards for the 2025 season. Infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb has been named Team MVP, RHP Miguel Ullola has been named Pitcher of the Year and RHP Nick Hernandez has been named the team’s Reliever of the Year.
Whitcomb takes home Sugar Land MVP honors for a second consecutive season. Over the course of 107 games with the Space Cowboys, Whitcomb slashed .267/.360/.509/.869 with 23 doubles, 25 home runs, 64 RBI, 68 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. He led the Space Cowboys in home runs, total bases (206) and extra-base hits (48) and led all qualified Sugar Land batters in batting average, slugging and OPS. The former fifth-round pick out of UC San Diego was second on the Space Cowboys in hits (108), doubles and runs scored, tied for second in RBI and third in stolen bases.
The 27-year-old was one of just two players in the Pacific Coast League in 2025 to hit at least 20 doubles and 20 home runs while stealing at least 15 bases, joining 2025 PCL MVP Ryan Ward, and was one of 19 players in Minor League Baseball to hit those three marks. Whitcomb ranked tied for third in the Pacific Coast League in home runs, tied for eighth in extra-base hits and 10th in slugging. Across four different stints with the Astros, Whitcomb went 4-for-32 with a home run.
Ullola pitched the entire season with Sugar Land and went 7-6 with a 3.88 ERA in 28 appearances, 23 starts, hurling 113.2 innings with 131 strikeouts while hold batters to a .186 batting average, leading the Space Cowboys in strikeouts while placing second in starts and innings pitched. Ullola allowed three runs or less in 25 of his 28 appearances and made eight scoreless starts during the year. Sugar Land went 16-7 in his 23 starts, including wins in nine-straight games from May 1 through June 21 and wins in 13 of 14 starts from May 1 to July 20.
While he just missed qualifying status, Ullola finished second in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts while ranking tied for seventh in starts and 10th in innings pitched. Among pitchers that threw at least 80.0 innings in the PCL in 2025, Ullola led hurlers in strikeouts per 9 IP (10.37), strikeout percentage (26.6%), batting average against (.183), BABIP (.250) and FIP (4.63) while finishing second in ERA. Ullola was recognized as the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks on May 5 and 11, the first Space Cowboys’ pitcher ever to win the award in back-to-back weeks and was also recognized as the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for May. Signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2021, Ullola made three quality starts with the Space Cowboys in 2025.
Hernandez made 46 total appearances with Sugar Land in 2025, going 4-5 with a 2.12 ERA, striking out 63 batters over 46.2 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .156 batting average. Hernandez converted 11-of-13 save opportunities and collected eight holds during the season. He led the Space Cowboys in saves, was second in holds and finished with the lowest ERA among hurlers that made at least 15 appearances for Sugar Land in 2025.
Originally selected in the eighth round of the 2016 Draft by the Houston Astros out of the University of Houston and re-acquired in a trade with San Diego on June 4, 2024, Hernandez finished third in the Pacific Coast League in saves and was one of just three players to record double-digits saves in 2025 in the league. His eight holds were also tied for the fifth-most among pitchers in the PCL. Among pitchers that threw at least 40.0 innings in the Pacific Coast League in 2025, Hernandez was first in batting average against, BABIP (.211) and Left on Base Percentage (85.7), second in WHIP (1.01), third in ERA, trailing only teammates RHP Jason Alexander (1.55) and LHP Brandon Walters (2.08), fourth in strikeout rate (33.7) and fifth in strikeouts per nine (12.15). The 30-year-old was named a Pacific Coast League All-Star for 2025, one of just two relievers selected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team.
Post a Comment