For the second year in a row, the Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) Bobcats Baseball Team is set to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II College World Series from Saturday, May 23, to Saturday, May 30, in Enid, Okla., after winning the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Division II Region 8 State Tournament and NJCAA DII South District Championship.
PHSC Bobcats, ranked Number 10 nationally, opened the South District Series on May 8 with an 11-10 loss against Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (LBW), before bouncing back the following day with a dramatic 10-8, 10-inning elimination-game victory.
The Bobcats came back from an 8-4 deficit sparked by a two-run homer from Vance Celiberti (J.W. Mitchell HS) in the eighth. Sebastian Berrios (Doral Academy/FIU) and Mikey Greenberg (A3 Academy) both singled and then scored before Eduardo Morales (Mater Academy Charter/Bethune-Cookman) tied the game with a two-out, two-strike single. Greenberg delivered the final home run in the tenth inning, to take the lead, while Gavin Zassenbraker (A3 Academy) pitched the win with 2.1 scoreless innings and four strikeouts to earn the win.
On May 10, the Bobcats secured the series with a 20-13 victory over LBW to capture the 2026 NJCAA DII South District Championship. After trailing 4-2 in the second inning, the Bobcats erupted with 16 unanswered runs, highlighted by four home runs from four different players: Alex Rodriguez (Marjory Stoneman Douglas/University of Central Florida), Brandon Gonzales (Sickles HS), Morales, and Celiberti.
Five Bobcats recorded multiple hits in the game: Rodriguez, Celiberti, Greenberg, Gonzales, and Hershey Sanchez (Tampa Catholic HS). For the second straight day, Zassenbraker came in to close out the game, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys. We lost almost every player from last year’s national championship team, and for this team to have a target on its back all year with an entirely new roster shows how they rose to meet every challenge in front of them. Their toughness, resilience and commitment to the standards of our program have been incredible to watch,” said Lyndon Coleman, PHSC athletics director and head baseball coach.
“Winning back-to-back South District championships and advancing once again to the NJCAA Division II World Series is an extraordinary accomplishment for our student-athletes, coaches and the entire PHSC community,” said Eric Hall, Ed.D., PHSC president. “This team has demonstrated tremendous discipline and resilience throughout the season, and we are incredibly proud to see them represent PHSC on the national stage once again.”
The championship marks PHSC baseball’s second consecutive trip to the national tournament and the program’s fourth College World Series appearance overall, including its third under athletic director and head baseball coach, Lyndon Coleman, who was named South District Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
PHSC enters the week with a 36-22 overall record as it prepares to compete in the 2026 NJCAA Division II College World Series.