Two-time defending baseball champion Grapevine removed from playoffs after ineligible player ruling
Two-time defending state champion Grapevine, the top-ranked 5A team in Texas, is out of the state baseball playoffs after a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD internal investigation found the use of an ineligible player.
The Mustangs were scheduled to open the playoffs on Wednesday.
Grapevine (28-3 overall) entered the postseason chasing history, sitting one title away from becoming only the second Texas baseball program ever to win three straight state championships.
District investigation confirms violation
In a letter to Grapevine High School families and staff, interim Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Superintendent Rick DeMasters and interim Executive Director of Athletics Bob DeBesse said the UIL had alerted the district of an allegation involving an ineligible player on Grapevine's baseball team.
After receiving the information, the district launched an internal investigation that determined the player failed to meet specific requirements outlined in the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules.
"Because we hold our athletics programs to the highest ethical standards, the district has taken full responsibility," the letter from the two top officials said. "We have proactively self-reported these findings to the UIL, which, unfortunately, results in the forfeiture of any games in which the ineligible player participated. Due to those forfeits, the GHS baseball team does not qualify for the postseason, and our season is over."
Officials acknowledge emotional fallout
The letter acknowledged the difficulty of processing the immediate elimination from the playoffs, "especially given the dedication our athletes have shown on the field, and that this was not how any of us envisioned our season ending."
"Our focus now is on supporting our students, helping them navigate this disappointment with the same resilience they show on the field," DeMasters and DeBesse said.
CBS News Texas will provide updates should additional information become available.
