Cardiac Chaps: Midland College Continues Magical Run in Grand JunctionMay 26, 2026

 

There is something different about Grand Junction, Colorado.

 

Maybe it is the mountains standing tall beyond the outfield walls. Maybe it is the cool air that replaces the West Texas heat. Or maybe it is the realization that every team still playing has earned the right to compete on one of junior college baseball’s biggest stages.

 

For the Midland College Chaparrals, the setting has only added to the moment.

After entering the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series with a 50-10 record, the Chaps arrived in Grand Junction carrying the confidence of a team that has spent all season proving itself one game at a time. Guided by Head Coach Hector Rodriguez, Midland College has relied on explosive offense, gritty pitching performances, and an unwavering belief in one another throughout its postseason run.

 

“At the beginning of the year, Coach Rodriguez had us in a class, and at the end of the packet he gave us, it said that we need to be playing our best ball in May,” said sophomore AJ Velarde. “I believe that’s what we’re doing. We’ve done the hard part making it here to Junction, and I think we just need to play our game out there and not make it bigger than it is.”

 

Even after adversity struck early in the tournament, the Chaparrals never blinked. Instead, they responded the same way they have all season: together.

 

Athletic trainer Sonya Mikeska, who has spent 30 years at Midland College and is on the road with all the MC teams throughout the year, said the dugout energy has never changed.

 

“Always good, positive energy,” Mikeska said. “Even after the first shocking first loss, they were quickly back to, ‘We ain’t done yet.’”

 

Rodriguez reinforced a simple message to his players throughout the week: Every game is just another game.

 

“They know where they are and their goal is always, ‘Let’s win this one, just like all the others,’” Mikeska said. “The nerves are gone. They are just plowing through.”

 

The confidence comes from experience. Throughout the season, Midland College has won games in every possible fashion: slugfests, pitcher’s duels, comeback victories, and extra-inning battles.

 

“They’ve competed, they’ve worked; they’ve won in all different styles throughout the year,” Rodriguez told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. “The biggest wins are the ones when you’re facing adversity and I think you just carry that with you, knowing that you have the belief that you’re able to win some ballgames.”

 

That resilience has become so common that some fans have started calling them the “Cardiac Chaps.”

 

 

Whether battling through pressure-packed regional games or surviving elimination contests in Grand Junction, Midland College continues to find ways to respond when the moment grows biggest.

 

In a critical must-win matchup against Salt Lake, pitcher Jason Berglund delivered one of the team’s biggest performances of the season. According to teammate Jake Nava, Berglund’s aggressive approach helped preserve Midland College’s pitching depth for the remainder of the tournament.

 

“Berglund’s ability to get first-pitch strikes and feed off the energy in the dugout throughout the game allowed him to pitch well deep into the game,” Nava said. “Keeping the bullpen rested and allowing Lane Schulz to only throw 35-40 pitches means he can still be hot when we need him next.”

 

Around Suplizio Field, the energy surrounding the JUCO World Series has also left an impression on the Chaparrals.

 

“You can really tell that the community gets around this World Series,” said Caleb Eager.

From packed stands to fans lining up for autographs and photos after games, Grand Junction embraces the event in a way few places can. Midland College supporters have also traveled in large numbers, creating a sea of green and gold in the stands while many more back home continue following every inning on ESPN+ and TSBN Sports.

 

For Mikeska, the team’s chemistry is what continues to stand out most.

 

“I feel like all baseball players are perpetually 12 years old,” Mikeska said with a laugh. “They can be serious when they need to be, but most of the time, they just love being together and playing this game, supporting one another always.”

 

That joy has become part of the team’s identity.

 

So has another phrase heard constantly around the dugout this postseason: Chap Magic.

 

“Chap Magic is alive and well,” Mikeska said.

 

And as Midland College continues its World Series journey beneath the Colorado mountains, one thing remains clear: This group believes its story is far from finished.