Midland College Athletes Continue Making a Difference Beyond CompetitionMay 30, 2026

By Brie Ragland, MC Director of Marketing and Communications

The Midland College Chaparrals may have seen their remarkable season come to an end with a heartbreaking loss to Johnson County on Thursday, May 28, finishing third overall at the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., but some of the most meaningful moments from the trip had nothing to do with wins, losses or life on the diamond.

Instead, they came through laughter, piggyback rides, autographs and friendships formed during the annual Challenger Game.

The Challenger Division of Little League Baseball was developed to provide children and young adults with physical and cognitive special needs the opportunity to experience the joy of the game, and every year during the JUCO World Series, qualifying teams are paired with Challenger athletes for a day centered entirely around inclusion, encouragement and fun.

For Midland College, the experience served as a reminder that the impact of student-athletes extends far beyond competition.

Athletic Trainer Sonya Mikeska, a 30-year employee of Midland College, said watching the players interact with the children may have been one of the highlights of the entire week.

“I like the interactions they have with the kids,” Mikeska said. “They make these young ones a priority. The kids line up to get autographs, pictures with them, Chaps gear, a batting glove and more.”

Head Coach Hector Rodriguez, the 2026 WJCAC Coach of the Year, said the Challenger Game has become one of the most memorable traditions associated with the JUCO World Series.

“Thursday night's Challenger Little League game is by far the bright spot of the whole week,” Rodriguez said. “I vividly remember the Challenger Little League events we did in 2013 and 2014. It's one of those events that sticks with you forever.”

Rodriguez said while the event is designed to create unforgettable memories for the Challenger athletes and their families, the impact extends just as deeply to the college players.

“I know they say that it's the biggest day for the Challengers, but it's also something that is huge for the players who are involved in it, and it's something they will remember for a lifetime,” Rodriguez said. “We love supporting Karma Brown and the Challenger Little League group.”

For sophomore AJ Velarde, the event quickly became personal.

“We got to do the Challenger event, and I was blessed to be paired with Xoe, just an absolute angel on earth,” Velarde said. “We don’t really get to do these kinds of events often, so it was just a blessing to be out there and an amazing experience to be a part of.”

Velarde said the day quickly turned into less about baseball and more about simply enjoying the moment together.

“In between every inning, we were eating our chicken tenders, and toward the end of the game, we were getting handfuls of chalk and throwing it at everyone,” he said with a laugh. “It was just an absolute blessing.”

The impact left on the families involved was immediate.

Stephanie Tangreen, whose daughter Xoe participated in the Challenger Game, reached out afterward to thank the Midland College team for the kindness shown throughout the event.

“We had the pleasure of having one of our kiddos paired with one of your players,” Tangreen said. “AJ Velarde was very amazing and kind to our sweet Xoe. We wanted to reach out and say thank you. The whole team was kind, humble and patient. We appreciate that so much. Xoe made a friend for life.”

For Caleb Eagar, the event was another example of how sports can bring people together in powerful ways.

“The Challenger game was an amazing experience,” Eagar said. “My roommate and I got to work together with Ella. It was definitely a lot of fun.”

The trio spent the day playing foot tag, building volcanoes in the dirt, giving piggyback rides and simply being kids together.

“My back was a little sore the next morning,” Eagar joked. “But it was so fun to see how the kids just take to you so quickly. They kind of treat us like celebrities here, and that’s a really fun experience.”

More importantly, Eager said the experience helped the team reconnect with the pure joy of the game during the pressure and intensity of the World Series.

“It overall was an amazing experience and kind of reminded us during this week of how to be kids and enjoy the game,” Eager said. “It’s awesome to see kids who can be considered the odd ones out, in a sense, get to be out there playing a real game with JUCO athletes.”

Moments like those reflect something Midland College has long emphasized within its athletic programs: developing students who lead not only through competition, but through character, compassion and service.

Throughout their World Series run, the Chaparrals represented Midland College not only through their play on the field, but through the way they invested in others, embraced their platform and created lasting memories for families they had never met before.

While the season ended one win short of playing for a national championship, the impact these student-athletes made in Grand Junction extended far beyond the scoreboard.

Long after the final out was recorded, these are the moments many will remember most.