After Grapevine’s removal, how did teams scramble to prepare for new opponents?
With Grapevine’s removal from the UIL Texas high school baseball playoffs over the use of an ineligible player, some Fort Worth-area teams had less than 24 hours to prepare for new bi-district round opponents.
Chisholm Trail was originally supposed to play reigning Class 5A Division II state champion Grapevine Wednesday, while Colleyville Heritage was slated to play reigning Class 5A Division 1 state champion Aledo. The shakeup, however, pitted the Rangers and Panthers against each other.
Colleyville Heritage eventually got the upper hand with a 4-2 win over Chisholm Trail in Game 1 of a Class 5A Division II bi-district series Thursday at Chisholm Trail High School.
But before the first pitch, Chisholm Trail head coach Mason Munguia and Colleyville Heritage head coach Chris McMullen had to rush to finalize logistics for a game they didn’t expect to happen.
Scrambling to finalize logistics
Munguia, who led the Rangers to their first playoff appearance since 2017, said he initially didn’t know whether his team would receive a first-round bye or have to play another opponent.
Munguia said his immediate reaction was relief, given that the Rangers no longer had to play reigning champion Grapevine, a program for which he said he has a lot of respect.
At the same time, he said he doesn’t take Colleyville Heritage lightly, calling the program historic — the Panthers won the Class 5A state title in 2019.
“We always kind of feel like we’re the underdog heading into things,” Munguia said. “And we like it that way. There is some relief. But at the same time, we had to switch our minds.”
In less than 24 hours, the teams had to get new scouting material and prepare for different competition in what Munguia called an intense turnaround.
“You kind of go into the series blind, which, for a coach, is scary and nerve-wracking,” Munguia said. “But I think for the kids, it’s ‘just go out and play ball.’”
But before the athletes could play, Munguia and McMullen had to finalize the series’ logistics. Rainy weather in the Fort Worth area complicated things. Munguia said they had four hours to negotiate, but wanted to do anything necessary to avoid a one-game series.
“As a coach — this is my first time in the playoffs — you question yourself,” Munguia said. “Are you making the right moves? … At the end of the day, you just have to trust in your kids that they’re going to show up and play.”
The teams agreed to a three-game series, with all games taking place at Chisholm Trail. That gives the Rangers a strong home field advantage, but it was necessary, with Chisholm Trail having a turf field resistant to rain, McMullen said.
McMullen said he was worried about Heritage’s field being ready to play on after the rain and said they needed to get a schedule set. He emphasized there wasn’t enough time to find a neutral site, and said most potential venues that made sense geographically are occupied with so many teams remaining in the first round.
“When you’re in a time crunch, about seven o’clock last night, you just have to make a decision,” McMullen said.
Amid the chaos, McMullen told his players to focus on what they could control: playing baseball.
“The guys just want to play,” McMullen said. “I think, sometimes, as adults, we can overthink it and what bracket and what does that look like. That’s my job — to make sure that we’re scouting the correct opponent and get the logistics taken care of.
“So, it’s kind of a breath of fresh air when you come down to the cages to hit today after we’ve done all the scheduling, and they’re ready to hit. … I could finally relax and just be with the guys. … I think the kids adjusted better than I did at times in the past 24 hours or so.”
McMullen said not playing an opponent like Aledo, a dominant district and state champion, can give players a reason to take their foot off the gas. He called that potential reaction human nature.
But Colleyville Heritage had reason not to underestimate Chisholm Trail. In a February tournament, the Rangers run-ruled the Panthers as they committed six errors — McMullen said he reminded his players of that result, giving them extra motivation.
The Panthers also had to adjust to more than an opponent. They were originally in the Class 5A Division I bracket and fell to the Division II bracket.
At the end of the regular season, schools are split into Division I and Division II based on enrollment of the schools that make the postseason.
Colleyville Heritage dropped down because of Grapevine’s removal and Denton Ryan’s sudden playoff berth, given that the Ryan Raiders have a larger enrollment.
But regardless of numbers, McMullen said anyone can win on any given day and emphasized that the team’s approach hasn’t changed.
“It still comes down to playing the game, regardless of what it looks like on paper,” McMullen said. “ … Baseball is a cruel game, so you kind of have to ignore all that and just play.”
The winner of Colleyville Heritage and Chisholm Trail’s series will advance to play either Burleson or Fort Worth North Side in the area round. Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m. Friday, and if needed, Game 3 is set for noon Saturday.
“We’re still in it. We still got some fight left in us,” Munguia said. “I expect a good outing tomorrow.”
Heritage made the regional finals in the 2025 season. Now, it’s playing with a group that returned one starter from that team.
“I thought the guys came out and played well, definitely inexperienced, and that kind of shows at times for us,” McMullen said. “But man, I thought they hung with it, very proud of the way they competed for the full game.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 9:11 PM.
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