The Beginning
The story of Lee Rebel Baseball began in 1961, when Ernie Johnson became the first head baseball coach in program history. A member of Lee High School's original faculty, Johnson didn't simply inherit a baseball program—he helped build one from the ground up.
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Over the next three decades, Rebel Baseball developed an identity rooted in fundamentals, discipline, preparation, and pride. Under Johnson's leadership, the Rebels captured seven district championships and made two appearances in the state tournament, in 1964 and 1969.
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What began in 1961 grew into generations of players, coaches, families, and traditions—and a baseball program whose history continues to be written today.
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Ernie Johnson
The Coach who started it all
Coach Ernie Johnson began his legendary career at Robert E. Lee High School in 1961, becoming the first head baseball coach in program history. For the next 30 years, he devoted his career to Lee as the head baseball coach, an assistant football coach, and a Biology teacher.
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Under Johnson’s leadership, Rebel Baseball established a tradition of excellence that would shape the program for generations. His teams captured seven district championships and advanced to the state tournament twice. He retired in 1990 after three decades of coaching and teaching, but his connection to Lee and its athletes was far from over.
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In 1991, the school honored his extraordinary contribution to the program by naming its baseball diamond Ernie Johnson Field. It was a fitting tribute to the man who had built the Rebel Baseball program from its beginning.
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Coach Johnson was a charter and founding member of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, and his contributions to athletics and education earned recognition throughout his life. He was inducted into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1991, the Lee Legacy Wall of Honor in 2010, and the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2017. In 2016, he received the Scott Seator Community Achievement Award at the West Texas Sports Banquet.
Yet Coach Johnson’s legacy extends far beyond championships, awards, and halls of fame. Retirement never truly took him away from the program he helped create. For years, he continued attending Rebel football and baseball practices, offering encouragement, sharing his knowledge, and mentoring generations of coaches and student-athletes.
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Until his passing in 2021, Coach Johnson remained a familiar and treasured presence around Rebel Baseball. Members of the Class of 2024 were among the final Rebel players to have the opportunity to know Coach Johnson personally at the field that bears his name.
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Future generations may not have the opportunity to meet the man who started it all, but every Rebel who takes the field at Ernie Johnson Field becomes part of the legacy he began in 1961.
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His name is on the field.
His legacy is in the program.
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From the program's beginning in 1961 to today, generations of coaches have carried forward the tradition of Rebel Baseball. Each left his own mark on the players, teams, and history of the program.
Head Coaches Through the Years
ERNIE JOHNSON
1961–1990 | Founding Head Coach
7 District Championships • 2 State Tournament Appearances
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The first head baseball coach in program history, Johnson established the foundation and traditions of Rebel Baseball during his 30 years leading the program
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​JESSE BENAVIDEZ
1991–2007 | Head Coach
365-176-3 • 17 Seasons • 14 Playoff Appearances • 2007 State Semifinalist
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Jesse Benavidez became just the second head baseball coach in Lee history when he succeeded Ernie Johnson. Before taking over the program, Benavidez had already spent years in Midland ISD and served as an assistant football and baseball coach at Lee.
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Over 17 seasons leading the Rebels, Benavidez compiled an outstanding 365-176-3 record and guided Lee to 14 playoff appearances. During his tenure, the Rebels accumulated 36 district and postseason championships, while Benavidez was named District Coach of the Year 10 times.
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His final season became one of the most memorable in Rebel Baseball history. The 2007 Rebels finished 32-7-1, won the district championship and advanced to the Class 5A State Tournament, Lee's first trip to state since Ernie Johnson's 1969 team. The Rebels reached the state semifinals before falling one victory short of the championship game. Benavidez was named District Coach of the Year in his final season.
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Benavidez was later inducted into the Midland ISD Hall of Legends in 2023, recognizing a coaching career that helped carry the tradition established by Ernie Johnson into another generation of Rebel Baseball.
365 Career Wins
14 Playoff Appearances
10× District Coach of the Year
2007 State Semifinalist
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3 Seasons as Head Coach
Longtime Lee Baseball Assistant
1998–2000 Football State Championship Staff
DANNY NEIGHBORS
2008–2010 | Head Coach
Danny Neighbors became the third head baseball coach in Lee history after spending more than a decade as an assistant under longtime head coach Jesse Benavidez. When he took over the program in 2008, Neighbors inherited a Rebel team coming off its memorable 2007 run to the Class 5A State Tournament.
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Neighbors led the Rebel Baseball program for three seasons before stepping down following the 2010 season. His connection to Lee extended well beyond baseball; during his long career with Midland ISD, he was also part of the Lee football coaching staff during the Rebels' three consecutive state championship seasons from 1998–2000.
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He later continued coaching at Midland High and concluded a 28-year career with Midland ISD in 2019. In 2018, the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association recognized Neighbors as its Class 6A Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with Midland High's pitchers.
47-24 Record
2 Playoff Appearances
2011 Co-District Champions
2011 Co-District Coach of the Year
HECTOR LIMON
2011–2012 | Head Coach
47-24 Overall • 17-7 District • 2 Playoff Appearances • 2011 Co-District Champions
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Coach Hector Limon became the fourth head baseball coach in Lee history when he took over the program prior to the 2011 season. He arrived in Midland after a successful tenure at Lubbock Estacado, where he had built a program that won six district championships and reached the state tournament in 2010.
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Limon made an immediate impact at Lee. After the Rebels had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, his 2011 team returned to the postseason, shared the District 3-5A championship with Midland High, and advanced to the Class 5A Area Round. Limon was also named Co-District Coach of the Year that season.
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During his two seasons leading the Rebels, Limon compiled a 47-24 overall record and a 17-7 district record, taking Lee to the playoffs in both seasons. He resigned following the 2012 season.
9 Seasons at Lee
5 Straight Playoff Appearances
2016 Regional Finalist
750+ Career Coaching Wins
BRIAN ROPER
2013–2021 | Head Coach
9 Seasons • 5 Consecutive Playoff Appearances • 2016 Regional Finalist
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Coach Brian Roper became the fifth head baseball coach in program history when he was hired in 2012, taking over the Rebels for the 2013 season. He brought extensive coaching experience to Midland, including successful tenures at Howard College and Blinn College.
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Under Roper, the Rebels developed into one of the area's strongest programs. The highlight came in 2016, when Lee finished 28-11 and advanced to the Class 6A Regional Final, coming within one round of reaching the state tournament. That team included several future NCAA Division I players.
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Roper's Rebels ultimately reached the playoffs five consecutive seasons, a streak that continued through his final year in 2021. His last team finished 26-9, earned a No. 21 state ranking, and advanced through the Bi-District round. During that season, Roper also recorded his 750th career coaching victory.
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Roper retired following the 2021 season after 31 years in education and nine seasons leading Rebel Baseball. Across his high school and junior-college coaching career, his teams accumulated 751 victories.
Head Coach Since 2022
2022 & 2024 Regional Quarterfinalist
2× MRT Coach of the Year
2025 THSCA Region 4 Coach of the Year
ERIC GARCIA
2022–Present | Head Coach
2 Regional Quarterfinal Appearances • 2× MRT Coach of the Year • 2025 THSCA Region 4 Coach of the Year
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Coach Eric Garcia became the sixth head coach in Rebel Baseball history when he was promoted from the Rebel coaching staff following Brian Roper's retirement. His first season as head coach was 2022. Contemporary reporting confirms the transition from Roper to Garcia.
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Garcia made an immediate impact in his first season. The 2022 Rebels finished 26-11 and advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals, the program's deepest postseason run since 2016. Garcia was named the Midland Reporter-Telegram High School Baseball Coach of the Year for that season.
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The Rebels returned to the Regional Quarterfinals in 2024, giving Garcia two such postseason runs during his first three seasons leading the program. His success earned him another Midland Reporter-Telegram Coach of the Year honor in 2024. In 2025, he was recognized by the Texas High School Coaches Association as the Class 6A Region 4 Baseball Coach of the Year.
REBEL BASEBALL RECORD BOOK
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STATE TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
1964 • 1969 • 2007
1964 — STATE TOURNAMENT
Third in State
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1969 — STATE FINALIST
Advanced to the State Championship Game
1994 — REGIONAL FINALIST
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1995 — REGIONAL SEMIFINALIST
1996 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
1997 — REGIONAL SEMIFINALIST
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2000 — REGIONAL SEMIFINALIST
2002 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
2003 — AREA FINALIST
2004 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
2005 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
2006 — DISTRICT CHAMPIONS • REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
2007 — DISTRICT CHAMPIONS • STATE SEMIFINALIST
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2011 — DISTRICT CHAMPIONS • AREA FINALIST
2016 — DISTRICT CHAMPIONS • REGIONAL FINALIST
2019 — AREA FINALIST
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2021 — AREA FINALIST
2022 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
2024 — REGIONAL QUARTERFINALIST
HELP US PRESERVE REBEL HISTORY
The history of Rebel Baseball belongs to everyone who helped build it.
Our records are a work in progress, and some of the best pieces of Rebel Baseball history may still be tucked away in photo albums, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, old programs, or simply in the memories of those who were there.
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If you have photos, rosters, newspaper articles, team records, player or coach information, corrections, stories, memories, or other historical materials, we would love your help preserving them for future generations of Rebels.
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Every submission helps us tell a more complete story of the players, coaches, teams, families, and moments that have shaped Rebel Baseball since 1961.