From the Archives: A Saturday to Remember — 1993 TOC Champions

Long before pitch clocks and tournament time limits, there were Saturdays at the ballpark that seemed like they might never end. For the 1993 Midland Lee Rebels, one of those Saturdays ended with a Tournament of Champions trophy.

Lee entered the final day of the 19th annual TOC fighting its way through the loser’s bracket. First up was a familiar opponent: Midland High.

It Started with the Crosstown Rival

The Rebels’ speed and aggressive baserunning gave Midland High trouble from the start, but the game broke open in the fifth inning. Lee sent starting pitcher Tim Beard packing during an eight-run fifth, part of an 18-hit offensive attack. David Galvan went 4-for-4, and the Rebels took advantage of eight Midland High errors on their way to a 16–8 victory. Brian Cordova earned the win in relief.

One win down. But Lee’s day was just getting started.

One Win to Force Another

Next came undefeated Lubbock Monterey in the championship round.

A game scheduled for 5:30 p.m. didn’t begin until around 8 p.m. By the seventh inning, Lee trailed 3–2. Senior Julian Urquidez had been great, eventually finishing with 14 strikeouts. Now Lee needed its offense to give him one more run—and then another.

Kirk Ulrich came off the bench with a pinch-hit single. Sophomore Kevin Jordan followed with a pinch-hit double down the right-field line. Ulrich scored, and Jordan reached third.

Then Brian Henderson got a slow roller into the infield. Jordan took off. The play was close enough that he had to dive across home plate just ahead of the tag. Lee had the lead. Urquidez retired Monterey in the bottom of the seventh, and the Rebels had pulled off the comeback, 4–3.

But there was no trophy presentation. Because Monterey had been undefeated, Lee had only forced the tournament’s dreaded “if” game. So, sometime after 10 p.m., they did it all over again.

One More Game

Maybe it was fitting that the championship came down to the seventh inning one more time. The deciding game was tied 2–2 when Eric Benavidez reached base for Lee. Tournament MVP Sean McIntosh followed with the hit the Rebels had been waiting for—a single that brought Benavidez home with the go-ahead run. Jason Baker shut Monterey down in the bottom of the seventh. Lee 3, Monterey 2. By the time it was over, Saturday had become early Sunday morning.

The Rebels had played three games in one day. They had beaten their crosstown rival 16–8, then defeated Monterey 4–3 and 3–2, with both Monterey games decided by Lee runs in the seventh inning. And after one very long Saturday at Angels Stadium, Midland Lee was the 1993 Tournament of Champions champion. It was the Rebels’ third TOC title, joining the championship teams of 1981 and 1984.

Three wins. One unforgettable championship.

Thank you, Sean McIntosh, for sending in a picture and sending me down a rabbit hole of Rebel Baseball history. TOC 1993 was a great story to research and a fun story to write about. Newspaper clippings (3 articles) are uploaded into 1993 Archive page.

-Andrea

Sources: Midland Reporter-Telegram, March 8–9, 1993. “Rebs halt Plainsmen,” Bill Price; “Rebs finally win T of C,” staff report; “MHS faces Lee today,” Bill Price.  

Tournament of Champions website: www.tocmidland.com