Career Highlights
SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 13, 2023)
2023 | Freshman
Earned SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 13 after making an immediate impact in Arkansas’ 5-0 opening weekend at the Rebel Kickoff in Las Vegas where she paced Arkansas in batting average (.636), hits (7) and on-base percentage (.733) … Went 7-for-11 at the plate while slugging her first career home run and double. The rookie also scored six runs and compiled 11 total bases, five RBIs, four walks and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
High School: A 2019 state champion at Corning-Painted Post High School … Earned a top 10 overall ranking in Extra Inning Softball’s 2022 Extra Elite 100 … As a high school junior her team won a section championship and she hit .556, reaching base at a .619 clip while totaling 20 hits, six doubles, two triples, four home runs, 16 RBIs and 22 runs scored … Named first team all-state and a two-time Class AA all-star in her career and began playing high school softball as an eighth grader, recording a .426 batting average … Played travel ball for Team NC in summer 2021, posting a .339 batting average with five home runs and 24 RBIs.
Personal: The daughter of Fernando and Audrey Rijo, Atalyia comes from a diamond sports family … Her mother Audrey played Division I softball at UNCW and her dad Fernando pitched 11 seasons in the minor leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros organizations … Her cousin Jose Rijo pitched for 14 seasons in MLB and won the 1990 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds and was named World Series MVP … Became just the second Razorback softball student-athlete from New York.
