Millington, TN – A new era of Indian Hills Baseball is set to open as first-year head coach Dru Sebastian leads the Warriors to the Flag City Classic in Millington, TN to open the 2026 season.

DETAILS: Indian Hills at Flag City Classic

Millington, TN  |  USA Stadium

LEADING OFF

The 65th season of Indian Hills Baseball opens up this weekend as Dru Sebastian, the 10th head coach in program history, will lead the Warriors in his first season at the helm.

• Indian Hills has won four of its last five opening day matchups, including two wins over top-20 ranked opponents.
• The Warriors return 11 sophomores from last year's squad in addition to three transfers and 16 newcomers.
• The Warriors return more than 30.0 percent of its innings pitched on the mound from last year.
• The defense returns 47.5 percent of its total chances from a year ago from a squad that led the ICCAC in double plays and ranked 32nd in the NJCAA in fielding percentage.
• The Warriors have been projected to finish second in the ICCAC Preseason DI Baseball Coaches Poll.
• 11 members of last year's squad moved on to the four-year level, including seven to the NCAA DI level.
• Sebastian was named the head coach of the Warriors in July after previously taking Eastern Oklahoma State College to the 2025 JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, CO.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP

Sebastian's debut season with the Warriors will feature a number of key returners and experienced contributors who will guide Indian Hills into the new year.

• Sophomores Boris Rodriguez and Kevin Ramos return on the left side of the infield after strong freshman campaigns. Rodriguez appeared in all 52 contests last year while Ramos boasted a .312 batting average in 51 games played.
• Diego Mendez and Jose Lopez provide proven experience in the infield as well for the Warriors. Mendez teamed up with Rodriguez to anchor the middle of the infield while Lopez's utility presence was seen in 45 contests as a freshman.
• Sophomore Callum Donnelly, a transfer from New Mexico Junior College will add firepower to the offense while returning outfielder Brody Geist, a member of last year's squad before missing the season due to injury, while help anchor the outfield.
• Sophomore hurlers Jonah Mayoral and Yuan-Kai Chang combined for 24 appearances on the bump last year, totaling more than 100.0 innings pitched. 

HOME SWEET TENNESSEE

The Warriors are set to open its schedule in Tennessee for the fourth consecutive year where the Warriors have made the friendly confines of USA Stadium feel like home away from home.

• Indian Hills is 16-6 over the last three seasons at the annual early-season events at USA Stadium.
• The Warriors secured a key win over then-No. 15 ranked Wabash Valley College (IL) at last year's PG JUCO Invitational in Millington.
• Over its last 22 contests in Tennessee, the Warriors have outscored their opponents 126-75.
• Rodriguez collected hits in five of the six games in Tennessee last year while Chang picked up an impressive victory in a 1-0 win over Missouri State University-West Plains.

SEBASTIAN'S NOTES

"We're excited to watch this group get out and compete to start off the season against quality competition.We have a solid core of returners who know what it takes to go out and compete day to day. We've been fortunate to have a good week of weather to finish our pre-season preparations before the season kicks off."

SCOUTING THE BLUE KNIGHTS

• Olney has opened the new year with a 1-3 record with its opening series in Millington, TN last week.
• The Blue Knights have hit six home runs through its first four contests.
• Through its first four games, Olney is being outscored 39-22.
• The Blue Knights are coming off a 19-32 record from a year ago.
• Indian Hills and Olney Central will be matching up for the first time, dating back through the 2011 season.
• Olney is under the direction of first-year head coach Darrel Handelsman.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• South Suburban is set to make its season debut this weekend at the Flag City Classic.
• The Bulldogs are coming off a 40-19 record last season while advancing to the NJCAA Region 4 Championship game.
• Indian Hills is 0-2 vs. South Suburban since 2011 with both losses coming in the 2023 NJCAA Midwest District Championship.
• South Suburban is under the direction of ABCA and NJCAA Hall of Fame Head Coach Steve Ruzich who ranks fifth all-time among NJCAA coaches in career wins with 1,385.

SCOUTING THE LOGGERS

• Lincoln Land posted a 34-19 record a year ago, the team's 13th consecutive season with at least 30 wins.
• The Loggers boasted a .310 team batting average last year while ranking 20th among all NJCAA DII programs with 58 home runs.
• The Warriors are 1-1 vs. Lincoln Land since 2011, with both matchups coming in Millington, TN - a 5-1 win for the Warriors in 2024 and an 11-4 loss in 2023.
• Lincoln Land will open up play at the Flag City Classic with two games before its matchup with the Warriors.
• The Loggers are under the direction of second-year head coach Steve Torricelli.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

• Kaskaskia is off to a 2-2 start to open the new year, splitting a four-game set at Holmes Community College (MS).
• The Blue Devils allowed 32 runs in its opening series while scoring 25 runs against Holmes.
• Kaskaskia finished the 2025 campaign with a 22-27 overall record while reaching the NJCAA Region 24 postseason tournament, falling to eventual JUCO World Series participant Lake Land Community College (IL).
• Dating back to the 2011 season, Indian Hills is 3-0 vs. Kaskaskia, including a 7-2 win in its most recent matchup on February 24, 2023 in Millington, TN.
• Kaskaskia is under the direction of Mitch Koester who is set to begin his 18th year at the helm of the program.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Warriors will hit the road to take on National Park College (AR) for a four-game series in Hot Springs, AR February 19-20.

NEW YEAR - WHAT TO KNOW

Fans can keep up the Indian Hills Baseball squad all year long through a number of ways:

• X (formerly Twitter): @IHCCBaseball  |  @IHCCAthletics
• Facebook: Indian Hills Baseball  |  Indian Hills Athletics
• Instagram: @IHCCBaseball  |  @IHCCAthletics
• Youtube: Indian Hills Athletics
• Website: www.indianhillsathletics.com
• Catch up with the history of Indian Hills Baseball with the official Indian Hills Baseball Record Book
• All home games are played at the Pat Daugherty Field on the Indian Hills Centerville campus.
  • Admission is free of charge for all home contests.

HOW TO WATCH

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills Baseball home and postseason games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

• GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
• Website: https://www.iowamedianetwork.com/gohillstv to catch all live and archived information
• Roku Streaming Device:  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

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