YUMA, Ariz. – Arizona Western Baseball alum and former Yuma Gila Ridge High School product Irving Lopez became the fourth former Matador to reach the big leagues, having his contract selected by the St. Louis Cardinals from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Lopez, who played at Arizona Western from 2014-2015 is set to join the big-league club for their weekend series in San Diego against the Padres after hitting .260 with nine homers and 53 RBIs in 97 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this season.

The Yuma native played in 109 career games for the Matadors in two seasons, batting .403 in his career with 29 doubles, six triples, and 10 home runs while driving in 78 runs. Lopez batted .423 as a sophomore in 2015, smacking 17 doubles and driving in 44 runs.

Following his two seasons at Arizona Western, the infielder finished his collegiate career at Florida International University where he batted .326 over 115 career games with 65 runs batted in. The St. Louis Cardinals selected Lopez in the 19^th round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft following his senior season at Florida International.

Lopez played his high school baseball right down the street from Arizona Western, attending Gila Ridge High School. Lopez becomes the fourth Matador to reach the majors, joining alums Ray McDavid, Bengie Molina, and Sergio Romo.