Pasco-Hernando State College Men’s Baseball Team finished third at the 2026 NJCAA Division II College World Series after earning wins over East Central Community College and Kellogg Community College before losing twice to South Mountain Community College.
Pasco-Hernando State College finished the 2025-26 season with a 38-24 overall record. Head coach Lyndon Coleman also received the 2026 NJCAA Division II South District Coach of the Year award during the May 22 opening ceremony at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma.
Morales delivers walk-off victory
Pasco-Hernando State College opened the tournament May 24 with a 14-13 walk-off victory over the No. 5 seed East Central Community College Warriors. East Central entered the game with a 46-14 record, but Eduardo Morales delivered the decisive hit with a ninth-inning single that scored Alex Rodriguez.
Morales also hit a two-run home run in the second inning, while Bradon Durfee added a home run in the fourth. Pasco-Hernando State College recorded 14 hits and eight RBIs in the late-night game. Starting pitcher Derek Westfall recorded six strikeouts while allowing nine hits and nine runs, Issac Palacios added five strikeouts on 67 pitches, and Gavin Zassenbraker recorded three strikeouts while allowing two hits after entering in the eighth inning.
Vance Celiberti, Durfee, Juan Lopez and Morales provided important at-bats as Pasco-Hernando State College remained within reach. With the score tied 13-13 in the ninth inning, Morales singled home Rodriguez to secure the victory and keep the team in the winner’s bracket.
Pasco-Hernando State College defeats top-seeded Kellogg
Pasco-Hernando State College defeated the No. 1 seed Kellogg Community College Bruins 6-1 on May 26. Gavin Zassenbraker led the pitching effort with 10 strikeouts and allowed one run while throwing more than 141 pitches.
Bradon Durfee, Eduardo Morales and Vance Celiberti were among the hitters who helped produce the offense. The victory moved Pasco-Hernando State College closer to the championship before the team faced South Mountain Community College.
South Mountain ends tournament run
South Mountain Community College, the No. 8 seed, defeated Pasco-Hernando State College 21-4 in six innings on May 28. The teams met again in an elimination game May 30, when South Mountain won 8-6 to end Pasco-Hernando State College’s tournament run.
Gavin Gargiulo started the elimination game and recorded three strikeouts, with 49 of his 84 pitches called strikes. After South Mountain’s Bryan Lorenz hit a two-run home run, Issac Palacios entered in the fifth inning and finished with five strikeouts on 79 pitches.
Pasco-Hernando State College took a 6-2 lead in the game. Juan Lopez, who returned to the lineup after an injury, hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, and Bradon Durfee followed with a two-RBI single that scored Horatio Sanchez and Eduardo Morales. South Mountain scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to complete the comeback.
Coleman honored during tournament
Coleman has secured 90 wins over the past two seasons and has led Pasco-Hernando State College to three World Series appearances, in 2019, 2025 and 2026. The program recorded third-place finishes in 2019 and 2026 under Coleman and won the 2025 national championship.
Pasco-Hernando State College also participated in community activities during the tournament. On May 23, the Men’s Baseball Team and several participating teams worked with the Miracle League organization to make a game accessible for all.
The Enid Bandits, a junior baseball team and sponsor of the defending national champions, welcomed Pasco-Hernando State College on May 21. Pasco-Hernando State College President Eric Hall, Ed.D., and Vice President of Student Services Dennis Feltwell, Ph.D., joined the team during batting practice before the East Central Community College game.
Source: Original report