Paradise Panthers — 2026 UIL Class 3A Division II State Champions
def. Franklin 9–0 · Dell Diamond, Round Rock · June 5, 2026
In the program's first-ever trip to the state tournament, the Paradise Panthers didn't just show up — they finished it. Out in Wise County, this town of about 500 people put a baseball state championship on the map, blanking Franklin 9–0 at Dell Diamond to claim the 2026 Class 3A Division II title and cap a 36–5 season under head coach Jeremy Fatheree.
Senior right-hander Colton Walker authored the championship masterpiece, striking out nine over six scoreless innings and scattering seven hits to earn tournament MVP. The Panthers cracked the game open with a nine-run barrage across the fourth and fifth — junior second baseman Jake Ryan drove in four on a 2-for-4 day, and Cash Lander and Carter Mara each laced RBI singles in a six-run fifth that sent the entire lineup to the plate.
And nobody ran wilder all postseason: leadoff terror Camden Walker swiped 20 bases — the most of any player in Texas — while Mara (19 playoff hits) and sluggers Madden Taylor and Hogan Henderson (17 RBI apiece) kept the Panther order churning straight through the bracket.
- Colton Walker — Tournament MVP — 6 IP, 9 K, 7 H, 0 R in the final
- Jake Ryan — 2B — 4 RBI, 2-for-4 in the title game
- Camden Walker — Led all of Texas with 20 stolen bases in the playoffs
- Carter Mara — 19 postseason hits; RBI single in the clinching fifth
Up 3–0 and pulling away, Paradise sent its whole lineup to the plate in a six-run fifth inning — Jake Ryan clearing the bases to blow the title game open.