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Grapevine High School baseball ruled ineligible from playoffs
Grapevine High School's baseball team can't compete in the UIL playoffs after they were discovered to have an ineligible player on their roster. FOX 4's Casey Stegall has more on the team's efforts to fight against the ruling.
GRAPEVINE, Texas - A top-ranked high school baseball team in Texas won't participate in this year's UIL playoffs after the discovery of an ineligible player on their roster.
Grapevine High School ineligible player
What we know:
Grapevine High School was ruled ineligible for the 2026 UIL playoffs after Grapevine-Colleyville ISD reported an ineligible player had played for the school this past season.
Per UIL rules, the minimum penalty for the violation is the forfeiture of all games the player participated in, forcing Grapevine High School to withdraw from this year's playoffs.
The school's baseball team had compiled a 28-3 record this season and was the No. 1 ranked division 5A baseball team in the state of Texas heading into the postseason.
Grapevine HS won the last two 5A state titles with victories over Lucas Lovejoy High School in 2024 and Kingwood Park High School in 2025.
What we don't know:
The district hasn't revealed the identity of the ineligible player.
Dig deeper:
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD received a report from the UIL regarding an allegation of an ineligible player on Apr. 28.
The district conducted an investigation following the allegation and initially upheld the player's eligibility.
On Apr. 29, new information from the UIL confirmed the player was ineligible based on UIL Section 442, leading the district to self-report the violation.
Players were reportedly told their season was over as they boarded a bus to head to their first playoff game on Wednesday.
"I just couldn’t believe it"
What they're saying:
"We realize this news is deeply disappointing for our players, families, and fans, and it is not the ending anyone envisioned for this season," Grapevine-Colleyville ISD said in a statement.
"However, we refuse to compromise our commitment to the rules and the values of honesty and sportsmanship. Our focus now remains on supporting our student-athletes and helping them navigate this challenge with the same resilience they demonstrate on the field."
Lale Esquivel, a father of a senior on Grapevine's baseball team, says the team was stunned.
"First you're confused, and you're angry and trying to figure out what's going on," Esquivel told FOX 4's Casey Stegall.
Left: Lale Esquivel. Right: Nomar Torres
Players expressed the same sentiment.
"I just couldn’t believe it. It was unreal," Nomar Torres, also a senior on Grapevine High School baseball player, told Stegall.
"We were on fire. The game before that, we won like 13 to zero against a pretty good team, and it was just a letdown for us."
Esquivel is pursuing legal means to get Grapevine back in the playoffs. He's filed a temporary injunction in Tarrant County, using money from his own savings to pay for the legal fees.
"Oh, it's cost, probably $40,000 I mean, we went through tons of lawyers trying to get lawyers to accept our case, and we just couldn't get anybody."
What's next:
As a result of Grapevine's forfeiture, Denton Ryan will now face Aledo in the 5A Division I playoffs, and Colleyville Heritage will face Chisholm Trail in the 5A Division II playoffs.
It is unclear when a decision could be made on Esquivel's legal challenge.
The Source: Information in this story comes from Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, the UIL and MaxPreps.com.