Hall of Fame
The 1990s were some of the most notable years in the history of Northwest baseball, and Eduardo Peña is a big reason why.
Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Peña began playing baseball at three years old, developing his talent at the Little League level in Puerto Rico, before arriving at Northwest in the fall of 1997. During his freshman season in 1998, Peña started to put himself and the Rangers in the national spotlight.
Northwest finished with a 33-14-1 overall record in 1998, highlighted by Peña's 15 home runs and .872 slugging percentage. His sophomore season was even better, as he led the NJCAA with 17 home runs, along with 67 runs batted in (RBIs), 54 runs scored, 124 total bases and an .816 slugging percentage.
Peña's big numbers helped guide coach Donny Castle and Northwest to a 43-10-1 overall record and a 22-2 division record, capturing the MACJC North Division championship. The Rangers also finished as the NJCAA Region 23 runners-up.
As for Peña, he garnered NJCAA Player of the Year honors for the 1999 season and left Northwest as a two-time All-MACJC selection and a two-time NJCAA All-American. Several of his career stats still top the program's record books, including his 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, 233 total bases, .841 slugging percentage and 15 sacrifice flies.
Additionally, Peña also ranks fourth in the Rangers' career batting average (.408) and tied for fourth with 94 runs scored. His 113 career hits are still tied for 10th-most and his .474 on-base percentage ranks ninth.
Following Northwest, Peña went undrafted but signed a free agent deal with the Chicago White Sox organization. Although his pro career was brief, Peña has remained directly involved with the game of baseball, playing first for the Puerto Rico National Team and continuing a long career in Béisbol Doble A of the Puerto Rico Amateur Baseball Federation, where he still currently plays.
