Taft College Baseball Capped a Milestone Season with Resilience, Big Swings and a Fitting Final Chapter
Taft College's 2026 baseball season had a little bit of everything, a fast start, late-game drama, program history and a meaningful final act for a longtime coach. The Cougars finished 20-20 overall and 11-13 in Central Valley Conference play, good for fifth place, but the numbers only tell part of the story. This was a season that opened with real momentum, included one of the program's biggest off-field milestones and kept showing the same trait over and over, the ability to fight back when games got tight.
That tone was set early. Taft came out of the gate at 7-1, beat defending state champion Mt. San Antonio College and climbed to No. 21 in the state rankings. The Cougars also opened the year by sweeping Siskiyous in a doubleheader, then showed their offensive ceiling a few days later by erupting for 15 runs in a split with Bakersfield. Taft College was the only team to take a 3-game series from the eventual NorCal champion Feather River College. There were signs right away that this club could win in different ways, behind steady work on the mound, with pressure late in games, or with one loud inning that changed everything.
Some of the season's most memorable moments came when Taft refused to let a game slip away. Adrian Lopez delivered one of the biggest swings of the spring on Feb. 18, blasting a walk-off three-run home run in the ninth inning to beat Sequoias 5-2 after the Cougars had trailed 2-0. Later in the month, Taft rallied again against Antelope Valley, scoring five times in the eighth inning of an 8-5 win. Edel Guemarez played a central role in that comeback with a solo homer and a two-run single, another example of how this group kept finding answers after the middle innings.
The Cougars also got key work from the pitching staff throughout the season. Julian Orozco gave Taft a strong opening statement in the first Siskiyous game, allowing just two runs over seven innings, and Ryden Walker followed with another effective outing in Game 2 of that sweep. S. Montoya earned the win in the 15-5 victory over Bakersfield, helping steady a game that turned into an offensive showcase. Even in tougher stretches, Taft remained competitive because it had enough arms to keep games within reach and enough hitters to make late pressure matter.
There were bumps, too, especially once conference play tightened. Taft dropped the rest of the Sequoias series after that dramatic walk-off and later absorbed a 9-3 loss to Antelope Valley after falling behind early. That push and pull helped define the season. The Cougars were dangerous, capable of beating top competition and piling up runs in a hurry, but they also had to grind through the inconsistency that often shapes a .500 finish. By season's end, the 20-20 record reflected both the promise they flashed and the challenge of sustaining it over a full schedule. A few standout players were Julian Orozco who was a 2-time recipient of NorCal Pitcher of the Week and William Glover who set the season stolen bases record at 36.
One of the most significant developments came away from the box score. Taft received its first glove deal for the baseball program through Grace Day Glove Company and officially became the first junior college in California to have a glove deal. For a program building its identity and visibility, that was more than a small footnote. It marked a tangible sign of growth and gave this season a place in school history beyond wins and losses.
The season also carried extra weight because it unfolded alongside a major transition. Head coach Vince Maiocco announced his retirement in February, closing a remarkable run that spanned more than 25 years at Taft College, three as an assistant and 22 as head coach. That made every comeback, every ranked moment and every step through conference play feel a little more significant. The Cougars did not finish with a championship, but they left behind a season worth remembering, one built on competitiveness, late-game resolve and a program milestone that will last well beyond this spring.