Honors And Awards
- 2026: D1Baseball Second Team Freshman All-American
- 2026: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
- 2026: All-Big 12 Freshman Team (Unanimous Selection)
Arizona 2026 (Freshman)
Appeared in and started all 53 games throughout the season … Finished first on the team in batting average (.353), hits (74), doubles (19), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.509), OPS (.929), and runs scored (31 … Had 26 extra-base hits with 19 doubles, one triple, and five home runs … Recorded 25 RBI … Also had an exceptional campaign at first base, finishing the season with a .993 fielding percentage … Recorded a hit in 42 of 53 games and had 24 multi-hit performances … Recorded his first career hit in the midst of a 3-for-5 performance with one RBI and one run scored against Oregon State (2/14), marking the first of four consecutive multi-hit games … Went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored against Michigan (2/15) … Went 2-for-4 against Omaha (2/17) … Went 2-for-5 with a walk against UConn (2/19) … Had two hits and one RBI against UConn (2/21) … Hit the first home run of his career in a 2-for-4 outing in the series-finale against UConn (2/22) … Went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored against Grand Canyon (3/3) … Had two hits, including one homer and three RBI in the opening game of the series against Fresno State (3/6) … In the series finale against Fresno State (3/8), went a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, and three runs scored … Throughout the three-game series vs. Fresno State, went a combined 8-for-13 with five runs scored and four RBI … In the series-finale against Utah (3/14), went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, a home run, and two RBI … Had three consecutive multi-hit games in the series against Texas Tech (3/20-22), going a combined 6-for-11 at the plate with four walks, one double, one home run, and five RBI … Followed that up with two more multi-hit outings, the first being a 2-for-4 night with a walk and a home run against Grand Canyon (3/24) … Then proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a double in the series-opener at UCF (3/27) … Had three hits, including one double in the series-opener against Arizona State (4/2) … Matched a career-high with four hits at TCU (4/10) … Went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the series-finale against TCU (4/11) … Went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI at Arizona State (4/13) … Had two doubles and scored a run in the series-finale vs. Kansas State (4/19) … Went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and the first triple of his career, while scoring two runs and recording two RBI against Grand Canyon (4/28) … Went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI against Houston (5/8) … Had a 2-for-4 performance with a walk and a double in the series-opener against Oklahoma State (5/14).
Arizona 2025 (Freshman)
Did not play.
High School
Attended Oakmont High School in California and lettered three years in baseball under the direction of head coach Paul Martinez…Finished prep career ranked as the No. 12 first baseman in the nation and the No. 2 first baseman in California by Perfect Game…Selected as a team captain of his high school team as a senior; co-captain as a junior…Honored as the Oakmont HS team MVP during senior year…Three-time All-District honoree, two-time All-City selection, two-time All-Section pick, and All-State player as a senior…Saw time in 117 varsity games and posted a .393 career batting average with 67 runs scored, 33 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, and 79 RBI…Posted a career-best year as a senior, hitting .404 with 24 runs, 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 31 RBI…Career .970 fielding percentage on 533 total chances during prep career…Named the Sacramento Bee Player of the Year in 2024…Participated in the 2022 Area Code Underclass Games with the Athletics…Also excelled in the classroom, posting a 4.0 GPA as a senior, earning Academic Excellence recognitions for maintaining a 3.71 GPA, and picking up an Honor Merit Award.
Personal
Anthony Lorenzo Lira…Son of Robert Mendonsa and Alexandra Lira…Two brothers, Nicholas and Julian, and one sister, Annabell…Majoring in Business Management...Hobbies include basketball and playing video games…Born with a hearing disability, having approximately 10% hearing in one ear and 20% in the other; by age 10 had undergone five ear surgeries and gained about 80-90% hearing…“I like to be an example for other kids going through learning disabilities or issues, to always keep pushing and work toward their goals. I never quit on myself, and I had a good group of people who never quit on me. That’s all you need to succeed.”…Chose Arizona because, “They were always one of my top choices since I was a young kid. When I found out the coaching staff was new and handpicking the 2024 class, and they had chosen me, I felt like it was home.”
