Men’s Baseball Team Wins 2026 NJCAA South District Championship to Secure Second Consecutive World Series Bid
The PHSC Men’s Baseball Team won the 2026 NJCAA Division II South District Championship in Palatka, Florida.
On May 8, nationally ranked No. 10 PHSC (36-22) opened the series with an 11-10 loss to nationally ranked No. 11 Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (41-16).
On May 9, in a potential elimination game, the Bobcats bounced back with a 10-8 victory in a back-and-forth extra-inning affair. PHSC produced a combined 14 hits during the contest. The Bobcats held a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning when LBW scored five runs to take an 8-4 lead. PHSC did not panic, responding in the very next inning with a two-run home run from Vance Celiberti to bring the score to 8-6. Sebastian Berrios and Mikey Greenberg both singled to get the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Eduardo Morales eventually tied the game with a two-out, two-strike single to left field.
Gavin Zassenbraker came out of the bullpen and pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball with four strikeouts to earn the win. Mikey Greenberg hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th inning to give PHSC the lead. Vance Celiberti was explosive offensively, recording two home runs and five RBIs for the redshirt freshman.
On May 10, PHSC secured the series with a dominant 20-13 victory over LBW to win the 2026 NJCAA South District Championship and earn a trip to the NJCAA Division II College World Series in Enid, Oklahoma.
LBW struck first with a run in the top of the first inning, but the Bobcats answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. LBW then took a 4-2 lead in the top of the second inning before the PHSC offense erupted for 16 unanswered runs. The offensive explosion was highlighted by four home runs from four different players: Alex Rodriguez, Brandon Gonzales, Eduardo Morales, and Vance Celiberti.
Five Bobcats recorded multiple hits in the game: Alex Rodriguez, Vance Celiberti, Mikey Greenberg, Brandon Gonzales and Hershey Sanchez. For the second straight day, Gavin Zassenbraker came in to close out the game, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
It marks the second consecutive season that PHSC has advanced to the national tournament.
Lyndon Coleman, Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach, was named South District Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. This marks the fourth trip to the College World Series in program history and the third appearance under Coleman.
PHSC enters the week with a 36-22 overall record and will compete in the 2026 NJCAA Division II College World Series in Enid, Oklahoma.
This article was written by Robert Lischak, PHSC Athletics Student Assistant