Hill College baseball team to rely on veteran leadership to make postseason run

Hill College’s baseball team looks to end its five-year postseason drought as the 2026 baseball season officially begins in just a few weeks. 

Hill College Head Baseball Coach Chris Rateike, who enters his 20th year as the Rebels skipper, is looking toward his veteran leadership to take this year’s team to the top of the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference standings. 

“I think we have a very, very good team right now,” Rateike said. “We just need to take care of business, which includes winning at home as well as stealing some hard wins on the road.”  

The array of sophomore talent this season include pitcher Landon Karrh (Frisco), sophomore catcher Tanner Cooper (Klein), first baseman and designated hitter James Vanderpool (Elgin, Oklahoma), third baseman Samuel York (El Dorado, Arkansas), second baseman Chad Pantuso (San Antonio), and pitcher Carson Burks (Buna). 

Rateike said Karrh, a transfer from Baylor University, will be the team’s game one starter.  

Also, York recently signed with Ohio State University, and Cooper will further his baseball career at the University of the Incarnate Word. 

“If both our pitching and defense can be consistent, this will very much help our offense,” Rateike added. 

Although the 2026 NJCAA Division I Baseball Polls haven’t been released yet, Rateike said he wouldn’t be surprised if Weatherford College, McLennan Community College, and possibly Grayson College will make the Top 25 list to begin the season.  

"It’s always going to be a battle in this conference,” Rateike said. “We just need to remain competitive. If our pitchers can keep attacking the zone – as they have been this offseason – then we should do just fine.”  

Rateike will be joined with second-year assistant coach Andrew Waters and new assistant coach Matthew Kent. 

“Andrew has done a great job in the areas of hitting and defense,” Rateike said, “and Matthew has been outstanding in the areas of pitching as well as strength and conditioning.” 

 Hill College will host Dallas College Cedar Valley in its home opener Jan. 30 beginning at 1 p.m. 

 The regular season ends May 2, followed by the NJCAA Region 5 Division I Baseball Tournament at a site and time to be determined. The Rebels will look to erase their five-year postseason drought.  

As a reminder, most doubleheaders played on the same day will begin with a seven-inning game; followed by a nine-inning game. 

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

Hill College 2026 Baseball Roster 

1 Samuel York, So, 3B (El Dorado, Arkansas) 
2 Hector Aguilar Jr., Fr, SS (Mansfield) 
3 Ellington Jefferson, So, OF (Dallas) 
4 Bryce Deason, So, OF (Longville, Louisana) 
5 Tanner Cooper, So, C (Klein) 
6 Thomas McHugh, Fr, 1B/P (Little Elm) 
7 Chad Pantuso, So, SS (San Antonio) 
8 Myles Hammonds, Fr, SS (Huntsville, Alabama) 
9 Tyler Simpson, So, P (Kemah) 
10 Dalton Hoffart, So, P/INF (Tomball) 
11 Max Fritsch, R-Fr, P (Littleton, Colorado) 
12 Jaziel Serrano, Fr, SS (Nederland) 
14 Josh Leigh, R-Fr, C (Keller) 
15 Killian Ridle, Fr, C (Regnesburg, Germany) 
16 Charles Jarrell, R-Fr, P (Pearland) 
17 Cayden Schmidt, So, P (Pearland) 
18 Layden Sepulvado, So, OF (Longville, Louisiana) 
19 Peyton Cook, So, P (Pearland) 
20 James Vanderpool, So, 1B (Elgin, Oklahoma) 
21 Joseph Dingman, Fr, OF (Royce City) 
22 Thomas Carroll, R-Fr, P (Cypress) 
23 Austin Lindsey, So, P (Lufkin) 
24 Kaeleb Galindo, Fr, P/INF (Cibolo) 
25 Carson Burks, So, P (Buna) 
26 Jeniel Perez, Fr, C/2B (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 
27 C.J. Lebouf, Fr, 1B (Flower Mound) 
28 Owen Townsend, Fr, 3B/2B (League City) 
29 Tylor Bruce, Fr, P (West) 
30 Bass Blundell, So, P (Sealy) 
31 Matvel Iudaev, So, P (Moscow, Russia) 
32 Levi Rozenblum, So, OF (Richardson – J.J. Pearce) 
33 Garrett Pennington, Fr, P (Bryson) 
34 London Karrh, So, P (Frisco) 
35 Aidan Rucker, Fr, P (Humble) 
36 Noah Day, Fr, P (Richmond) 
37 Dryden Fuoco, Fr, 1B (Vancouver, California) 
38 Evan Sanchez, Fr, P (League City) 
39 M.J. Espinoza, Fr, P (Spring Branch) 
39 Trent Thompson, Fr, 3B (Longview) 
40 Jake Schlabach, R-Fr, P (Fort Worth) 
41 Elijah Matinez, Fr, P (Brownsville) 
42 Kale Cropper, Fr, P (Port Neches) 
44 Reid Jordan, Fr, OF (Plano) 
45 John Cherry, Fr, P (San Antonio) 
46 Aiden Wells, Fr, P (Cibolo) 
48 Cayden Rhodes, Fr, P (Longview) 
50 Enrique Meza, Fr, P (Haltom City) 

Head Coach: Chris Rateike 
Assistant Coaches: Matthew Kent and Andrew Waters