2026 Roswell Invaders Season Recap - From 9-41 to Mountain Division South Champions

The 2026 Roswell Invaders season will be remembered as one of the greatest turnarounds in Pecos League history. One year after finishing 9-41 in 2025, Roswell completely rebuilt its baseball operation, returned to the top of the Mountain Division South and advanced to within one victory of the Pecos League Championship Series.

The Invaders finished the 2026 regular season 28-18, an improvement of 19 victories from the previous season despite playing four fewer regular-season games. Roswell's winning percentage jumped from .180 in 2025 to .609 in 2026.

Roswell then defeated the Grand Junction Razorback Suckers in two straight games in the Mountain Division playoffs before taking the eventual Pecos League champion Garden City Wind to a deciding third game in the Mountain Division Championship Series. Including the postseason, Roswell finished 31-20.

For a franchise that had endured the worst record in the Pecos League one summer earlier, 2026 represented a complete reversal.

Derick Dominguez Takes Over in Roswell

The turnaround began with a managerial change. Derick Dominguez was named manager of the Invaders in January after managing the Kansas City/Iola Hormigas in 2025 and the Austin Weirdos in 2023 and 2024. He replaced Garrett Totty, who moved to Blackwell.

Dominguez understood exactly what he was inheriting. Roswell had gone 9-41 the previous season and needed much more than a few roster adjustments. It needed to become competitive again.

When his hiring was announced, Dominguez said his goal was to restore the history of winning baseball in Roswell while acknowledging the difficulty of competing in a division that included Alpine, Pecos and Tucson. He also indicated that some players from his Kansas City/Iola club would follow him to Roswell. Read the Pecos League announcement.

The results ultimately exceeded even the basic goal of making Roswell competitive again. The Invaders went from last place to first place.

A Difficult Beginning

What makes the turnaround even more impressive is how poorly the season began. Roswell lost its first four completed games, falling 13-7 and 25-5 at Pecos before returning to Joe Bauman Stadium and losing 12-4 and 19-4 to Alpine.

After four games, Roswell was 0-4 and had been outscored 69-20. For a team coming off a 9-41 season, it would have been easy for the new year to begin looking very similar to the old one.

Instead, Roswell's season changed on May 31. The Invaders collected 15 hits and defeated Alpine 10-5 for their first victory of the season. Taylor Steig drove in five runs, Ryan Torres went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Sean Moore collected three hits.

The following night, Roswell defeated Tucson 11-9. The Invaders were finally moving in the right direction.

The Offense Begins to Explode

The first indication of just how dangerous Roswell's offense could become came June 3, when the Invaders defeated the Santa Fe Fuego 36-8.

There would be plenty more offensive explosions throughout the summer. Roswell scored 29 runs against Alpine on July 1, 26 against Santa Fe on July 22 and produced numerous games in which the Invaders reached double figures.

But the lineup wasn't simply built around scoring enormous totals at Joe Bauman Stadium. Roswell developed a deep group of hitters who could reach base, run and produce runs throughout the order.

At the center of everything was Xander Nabors.

Xander Nabors Leads the Invaders

Xander Nabors put together one of the biggest offensive seasons in the Pecos League. In 45 regular-season games, he hit .391 with 70 hits in 179 at-bats. He scored 72 runs, hit 15 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs while driving in 80 runs.

He also drew 39 walks and stole 21 bases. His combination of power, run production and speed made him the centerpiece of the Roswell lineup. View Xander Nabors' 2026 Pecos League stats.

Nabors' biggest moments continued into the postseason. When Roswell traveled to Garden City for the Mountain Division Championship Series, the Invaders found themselves trailing 9-6 entering the ninth inning of Game 1.

Roswell scored three times to force extra innings. Then Nabors delivered one of the defining swings of the season, hitting a three-run home run in the top of the tenth to give Roswell a 12-9 victory. Read the Pecos League game story.

It was exactly the type of moment that had defined Nabors' season.

A Deep Roswell Lineup

Nabors was hardly alone. Taylor Steig hit .404 while producing 55 hits, 12 doubles, two triples and six home runs in only 34 games. He drove in 58 runs and struck out only 10 times in 136 at-bats.

Rickey Rivas hit .417 with 55 hits in 132 at-bats, scored 45 runs and drew 28 walks. James Harris hit .398 with 51 hits, 49 runs and 38 RBIs.

Christopher Martinez hit .388, scored 41 runs in only 26 games and stole 14 bases. Sean Moore became one of the most dangerous baserunners in the league, stealing 48 bases in 43 games while hitting .335, scoring 66 runs and drawing 38 walks.

Ryan Torres added 43 runs and 35 walks, while Carson Kirby played 42 games and produced 45 hits, 37 RBIs and 30 walks.

The depth meant opposing pitchers rarely received an easy stretch of the Roswell batting order. View complete 2026 Roswell Invaders statistics.

Pitching Improvement Was Equally Important

Roswell's offensive numbers attracted attention, but the improvement on the mound was one of the biggest differences between the 2025 and 2026 clubs. The 2025 pitching staff struggled throughout the season. Roswell went through a large number of pitchers, and several of the club's most frequently used arms finished with ERAs well into double figures.

The 2026 Invaders developed a much more stable group. Orin Winslow emerged as one of Roswell's most effective starters, going 5-1 with a 4.36 ERA over 43.1 innings.

Stephen Moraski provided the largest regular-season workload, throwing 62 innings with two complete games. Noah Cantleberry went 3-1 and struck out 41 hitters in 34.2 innings.

Jordan Gonzalez went 3-0 with a 6.23 ERA, while Colin Sepulveda finished 3-1. John Luegering became an important bullpen piece, appearing in 18 games and posting a 4.60 ERA across 29.1 innings.

The difference from 2025 was substantial. The previous season included pitchers with records of 0-5, 0-5, 0-3 and 0-3 among some of Roswell's most frequently used arms. In 2026, the Invaders had pitchers such as Winslow, Gonzalez, Cantleberry and Sepulveda consistently putting the team in position to win. View Roswell's 2025 statistics.

Roswell Finds Its Identity

By late June, the Invaders had transformed from a team trying to recover from a terrible opening week into a legitimate division contender. A critical stretch came against Alpine.

Roswell defeated the Cowboys 6-4 on June 29, 13-9 on June 30 and 29-11 on July 1. The Invaders then traveled back to Alpine on July 7 and swept a doubleheader, winning 13-5 and 8-5.

Those victories were particularly significant because Alpine had been one of Roswell's primary competitors in the Mountain Division South. Roswell was no longer simply beating the teams near the bottom of the standings. The Invaders were beating the teams they needed to beat to win the division.

Winning Close Games

The development of the Invaders could also be seen in their ability to win close games. Roswell beat Blackwell 7-6 on July 5. Three days later, the Invaders defeated Pecos 7-6.

On July 10, Roswell held off Blackwell 10-9 in extra innings in a victory that allowed the Invaders to maintain first place in the Mountain Division South. View the complete 2026 Roswell schedule and results.

Those were the types of games a 9-41 team rarely wins consistently. The 2026 Invaders were finding ways to finish them.

Roswell Takes Control of the Mountain South

The decisive run came late in July. Roswell defeated Santa Fe 6-3 on July 20, 15-3 on July 21 and 26-10 on July 22. The Invaders then beat Tucson 11-4 and 10-6.

By July 25, the turnaround was official. The Roswell Invaders were Mountain Division South Champions.

The Pecos League described it as the completion of the greatest turnaround in league history: Roswell had gone from worst to first in one season. Read the Pecos League division championship story.

But there was still one memorable regular-season game remaining.

A Wild Walk-Off Against Tucson

On July 25, Roswell and Tucson played one of the wildest games of the Invaders' season. Tucson built a 9-3 lead before Roswell scored six times in the seventh inning to tie the game.

Xander Nabors then hit a three-run home run in the eighth to put the Invaders ahead 12-9. Tucson answered with four runs in the ninth and regained a 13-12 advantage.

Roswell responded one more time. With the bases loaded, Rickey Rivas walked to force home the tying run. Colin Sepulveda then drew another bases-loaded walk to bring home the winning run.

Roswell won 14-13. Nabors finished the game with two home runs and five RBIs. Rivas had three hits, three RBIs and scored three runs, while Ryan Torres collected three hits. Read the Pecos League game recap.

It was an appropriate final home victory for a team whose season had become defined by resilience.

Mountain Division Playoffs - Roswell vs. Grand Junction

Winning the Mountain Division South gave Roswell a first-round bye. The Invaders' first postseason opponent was the Grand Junction Razorback Suckers, who had swept Roswell in three games in Grand Junction early in June.

Those games had been ugly. Grand Junction won 10-0, 22-5 and 7-4.

The playoff series demonstrated just how different Roswell had become since the beginning of the season.

In Game 1 at Joe Bauman Stadium, the Invaders defeated Grand Junction 10-9. The teams battled through strong winds and a sandstorm before James Harris delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. Read the Pecos League Game 1 story.

Game 2 was even more dramatic. Roswell won 8-7 on Anthony Castaneda's walk-off home run.

The Invaders had swept the series and advanced to the Mountain Division Championship Series.

One Series Away from the Pecos League Championship

Roswell's next challenge was the Garden City Wind. The best-of-three series opened at Clint Lightner Field in Garden City.

Game 1 became another demonstration of how far Roswell had come. Garden City led 9-6 entering the ninth inning. Roswell tied it.

Then Xander Nabors hit his three-run homer in the tenth and Austin Adair held Garden City scoreless to finish a remarkable 12-9 Invaders victory. Read the Pecos League Game 1 recap.

Roswell was suddenly one victory away from the Pecos League Championship Series.

Garden City responded in Game 2. The Wind used three four-run innings to defeat Roswell 14-10 and force a deciding third game. Read the Pecos League Game 2 recap.

The finale was another offensive battle. Garden City ultimately defeated Roswell 12-10 to win the Mountain Division Championship and advance to the Pecos League Championship Series.

The Invaders' season was over. But the transformation was complete.

2025 vs. 2026 - The Numbers Tell the Story

2025 Regular Season Record: 9-41
2025 Winning Percentage: .180

2026 Regular Season Record: 28-18
2026 Winning Percentage: .609
Improvement: 19 additional regular-season victories
Winning Percentage Improvement: .429
2026 Postseason Record: 3-2
2026 Overall Record: 31-20
2026 Finish: Mountain Division South Champions
Postseason Finish: Mountain Division Championship Series

The difference was even greater than those numbers suggest. Roswell began 2026 by losing four consecutive games and being outscored 69-20.

From that point through the end of the regular season, the Invaders went 28-14. That is a .667 winning percentage over their final 42 regular-season games.

The team that had won nine games during the entire 2025 season won its ninth game of 2026 before June was even over.

A Return to Winning Baseball in Roswell

Roswell has been one of the foundational franchises of the Pecos League. The 2026 season was the Invaders' 16th year, and the franchise entered the summer needing to reestablish itself after the difficult 2025 campaign. Read more about the 2026 Roswell season.

That happened faster than almost anyone could have expected. Dominguez and the Invaders didn't merely improve from nine wins to a respectable record. They won their division, swept their first playoff opponent, went on the road and defeated Garden City in the opening game of the Mountain Division Championship Series and came within one victory of playing for another Pecos League championship.

The transformation could be seen everywhere. It was visible in Xander Nabors driving in 80 runs and Sean Moore stealing 48 bases.

It was visible in Taylor Steig hitting .404, Rickey Rivas hitting .417 and James Harris hitting .398.

It was visible in Orin Winslow going 5-1 and in a pitching staff that gave Roswell a chance to win games that had gotten away from the club a year earlier.

Most importantly, it was visible in the standings.

9-41 became 28-18.

Last place became first place.

A season that began with four consecutive losses ended with the Roswell Invaders standing among the final teams competing for the Pecos League championship.

The 2026 Roswell Invaders didn't simply have a better season. They restored winning baseball at Joe Bauman Stadium and produced one of the most remarkable one-year turnarounds in Pecos League history.