For New Hampshire Fisher Cats right-handed pitcher Aaron Munson, his only avenue towards college baseball began with a coach initially seeing him as an outfielder. It ended with him as the starting pitcher in the game that earned Division II Angelo State an elusive national title.
Growing up in San Antonio, Munson pitched at Johnson High School but was primarily an outfielder. Despite his two-way ability, no Division I schools had interest in Munson. Eventually, the Angelo State Rams made an offer that allowed the right-hander to continue playing the game of baseball. The decision to accept, of course, was a no-brainer.
“That was my first and only offer,” said Munson. “Being an outfielder, coming out of high school, I wasn't a big-time prospect. So, I chose there because they had a very successful program. Their coach had been there the whole time. They got a cool ballpark, and [it] just seemed like a great clubhouse environment to be in. So, I had to choose that, which was the best decision I've ever made in my baseball career so far.”
The man at the helm of the Rams is Kevin Brooks, who built the program from the ground up and is rapidly approaching 1,000 career wins at Angelo State. As of May 26, 2026, Brooks’ career record at ASU is 876-383, and he has won 535 conference games.
Brooks has made 13 NCAA postseason appearances in his Rams tenure, and he is the only head coach in program history. His managerial style is simple yet effective, and it has led to an enormous amount of success
“He was very old school,” said Munson. “He's been all over the place in the state of Texas when it comes to college baseball, an assistant coach, volunteer coach, kind of working his way through. He was big [on], if you put the work in, you'll get it.”
Munson certainly put in the work, but not as an outfielder. Instead, the Texas native became a full-time pitcher and excelled in the role. In three seasons with Angelo State, Munson went 23-6 and made 39 starts for the program. He struck out 231 batters in 228-1/3 innings, with 115 of the punchouts occurring in 2023.
The 2023 campaign was a historic season for the Angelo State program. Fresh off a 51-win 2022 season that ended in the College World Series, the Rams responded with a 56-win campaign and the program’s only National Championship. Angelo State’s success was resounding: the program went 56-9 and 40-8 in conference play. Including the conference tournament, the Rams played 15 postseason games and won 14 of them.
In the D-II College World Series, Angelo State faced North Greenville and Southern New Hampshire University twice before ending the season against Rollins College. Munson started the final game and twirled five innings of two-run ball, which was good enough for the Rams to win it all. Despite a historic day, Munson does not remember much from that afternoon.
“I kind of look back at it and it's kind of a blur,” said Munson. “I just remember being super nervous knowing it's the national championship game. If you win, you get the ring and the trophy. But I have very few words about what I actually remember about that game. But all I know is we end up winning, so that's all that matters to me.”
Now in 2026, Munson has been a frequent arm out of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats’ bullpen. At 24 years old, the right-hander’s mindset towards the game and his humbleness has not changed from when he won a ring in college.
“My parents are definitely my biggest supporters,” said Munson. “I give all the thanks to them. They helped really decide with Angelo State. I met a lot of great guys [at Angelo State too], and the coaches kind of prepared me for the mindset I need to have in pro ball, which so far has worked.”
That mindset worked in transforming Munson from high school outfielder to professional pitcher. He’s hoping his time in New Hampshire will end the same way it did at Angelo State: a championship.