Baseball team gets hot late, loses best-of-three to eventual national semifinalist

Hill College’s baseball team got hot toward the end of the 2026 season - earning its first postseason berth since 2019 – and narrowly missed out on a major upset in the NJCAA Region 5 Baseball Tournament against top-seeded tournament host, Midland.

The Rebels (35-20, 19-13) finished fourth overall in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference behind Grayson College, Weatherford College, and McLennan Community College. However, they took Midland to three games in the regional tournament (Midland went on to win District before losing 10-9 in the semifinal matchup to the eventual 2026 NJCAA Baseball Division I World Series Champions Johnson County Community College (Colorado).

Hill College stormed through the second half of conference play, winning three of its final four series to earn a playoff spot. Also, throughout the course of the season, the Rebels finished with an impressive home record of 21-5.

Hill College Head Baseball Coach Chris Rateike said solid pitching, timely hitting, and stellar defense all played key roles in the Rebels’ overall success during the 2026 season.

As a team, the Rebels recorded more hits, doubles, home runs, and runs batted in than they did in the 2025 season.

Sam York, an Ohio State University signee, led the Rebels with an overall season batting average of .431, including 72 hits and 64 RBI. Both York and teammate Jeziel Serrano led the team in home runs, each with 12.

For more information on the Hill College baseball program, please visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.