Historic Season Comes to a Close for Royals Baseball at Avista NAIA World Series

LEWISTON, Idaho — The most historic season in Johnson University baseball history came to a close Tuesday afternoon at Harris Field, as the Royals fell 11–0 to Tennessee Wesleyan in an elimination game at the Avista NAIA World Series.

While the final game did not end the way Johnson hoped, it closed a season that will forever stand as a turning point for the program. The Royals finished the year 40–14, setting a new program record for single-season wins, winning an NAIA Opening Round championship, reaching as high as No. 4 in the national rankings, and advancing to the Avista NAIA World Series for the first time in program history.

Tennessee Wesleyan struck first with a run in the second inning before breaking the game open with five runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth. Johnson was limited to four hits on the afternoon, with Luke Wilson recording two of them while Braden Frank and Christian Altamirano also added hits. Altamirano's double was the Royals' lone extra-base hit.

The loss ended Johnson's World Series run, but not before the Royals had already written the most memorable chapter the program has ever seen.

"This has been a remarkable season in so many ways," head coach Dave Serrano said. "I'm so proud of our players. I'm so proud of everyone that's involved, my coaches, everyone that's involved with Johnson University baseball. I've seen growth in myself this year. These guys have taught me hopefully just as much as I've taught them."

The 2026 Royals will be remembered as the team that took Johnson baseball somewhere it had never been before. Just a few years ago, Johnson was still finding its footing in the NAIA and Appalachian Athletic Conference. After joining the NAIA and AAC in 2021, the Royals went 17–35 in 2022 and 5–44 in 2023. Serrano took over the program before the 2024 season, and in just his third year at Johnson, led the Royals to the World Series and earned his 100th win with the program during the opening round championship victory.

"This team will forever be remembered as the first team to ever take Johnson baseball to the NAIA World Series," Serrano said. "There's been a lot of great relationships built, not just amongst the players, but amongst the families. And this is why I'm still doing this, is to bring people together and with one common goal, and that's to be successful."

The Royals' season was filled with milestone moments. Johnson swept Tennessee Wesleyan on the road for the first time in program history, won the NAIA Opening Round bracket in Salina, Kansas, defeated tournament host Kansas Wesleyan, and punched its ticket to Lewiston with a 9–8 victory that marked both the program's 40th win of the season and Serrano's 100th win at Johnson.

The numbers told part of the story. Johnson hit .304 as a team, scored 423 runs, collected 514 hits, stole 176 bases, and produced one of the deepest offensive lineups in the country. Wilson led the Royals with 78 hits and 40 stolen bases, JJ Menesini scored a team-high 66 runs and stole 49 bases, and Travis Hobbensiefken drove in a team-high 59 runs. On the mound, Colby Reynolds won 12 games, Tyler Barfield added 11 wins, and Kaleb Townsend recorded eight saves.

But the story of this team was never just about numbers.

This was a group that walked through real adversity together. The Royals rallied around Hobbensiefken and his family after the passing of his mother, Denise Hobbensiefken, during the season. They played with her memory close to them, and the love shown throughout the program became one of the defining images of the year.

It was also a season where faith remained at the center of the program's purpose, with five players giving their lives to Christ. In a year filled with wins, records, rankings, and national attention, that part of the story carried a meaning far beyond baseball.

The season also marked the end of the road for a senior class that helped lift Johnson baseball to a new level. Eddie Olmeda Jr., Austin Menesini, Jaden Rez, Braden Frank, Tyler Barfield, Matt Newton, Ryan Dexter, Colby Reynolds, Kaleb Townsend, Dallas Webb, and Haden Hartgrove leave behind a legacy that will be remembered long after the final out in Lewiston.

"Obviously this didn't end up how we wanted it to, but as I told the team, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Serrano said. "We got to the World Series, we're one of the last 10 teams that's still playing, and they'll always be remembered as the first team to ever reach the NAIA World Series for Johnson University baseball."

The Royals' season ends in Lewiston, but the foundation built by this group will carry forward. They changed expectations, raised the standard, and gave Johnson University a season that will be talked about for years to come.

For the first time in program history, Johnson baseball stood on the NAIA's biggest stage. And because of this team, it no longer feels impossible to get back.