The Rebels made their way back to Phoenix, Arizona this year in MSBL World Series. Competing again in the 35+ division, schedule is much tougher by the removal of the Mountain Division. This merged higher rated teams, and had them compete in the general Cactus division.

The Rebels started schedule against the famed Seattle Ravens. The former finals runner-up started making their way to their first championship with a tough victory against the Sonoma County underdog. The Rebels stayed close, as Dan Wood held the ravens to just two runs (one earned), through Five innings. Unfortunately, the Ravens scraped several runs in the 7th inning. The contested rounded up at 6-2. This was the closed scored game for the Seattle Ravens, whom continued on undefeated the rest of the tournament for the Championship. 

The second game for the Rebels was against the Minnoka Gray’s, former World Champions. The Grays got after it early, and took the lead. The Rebels allowed only two runs after the second inning, but couldn’t mount a comeback. 

The third contest was against the Dominican Republic team Liga De Oeste at Fitch Park (Athletics). This was a very tough matchup for both teams, as it was very competitive early on. To start the sixth inning, the Rebels led 4–3 after Zach Morgan delivered a timely 2 RBI double. In the later innings, the Liga De Oeste coupled a few runs together to take the lead permanently. 

This is where the tide turned for the Rebels as a whole. It was a tale of two halves, literally. Going into the fourth contest, the Rebels were hosting the Arizona Rebels at an evening game in Tempe Diablo Stadium. A battle under the lights to see if they could get back on track. 

The team started Steve Chambers on the mound, and he took the Rebels through a masterful showing in the first five innings. When Chambers left the game, the Rebels held a 11-3 lead. He settled the evening with 5 K’s, 1 BB, and 1 ER in 5 innings. The bats came alive as well finishing with 12 runs. 

The momentum completely changed after that victory in the stadium. Heading into game five the Rebels were taking on the San Antonio Bums. A veteran team that they had faced in pool play in the past. It was a pivotal game for both teams to keep their playoff hopes alive. A very competitive contest throughout the first half, led us to a score of 5 to 7 after four innings. That’s when the bats really woke up for the Rebels and they posted another 12 runs, to finish up 17 to 10. The game was stabilized on the hill by Joel Miner in the starting role, and Chris Fantasia coming in on the second half to solidify the victory.

Going into the game six, the Rebels had rebounded from a 0–3 start, to rattle off two straight wins, heading into the final game. Now they took on the Utah Blues, another veteran team that participates in the playoffs annually. The Blues did eliminate the Rebels in 2024, in a first round playoff match. This was an epic duel of Frontline starting pitching. The game was a complete grind, pitch by pitch, out by out, for both sides. 

Dan Wood took command of the game by throwing nine unbelievable innings for a complete game. Wood was able to compile 9 K's, 0 BB, 2 ER in 9 innings for a complete game. Going into the bottom half of the ninth inning, the Rebels trailed 2 to 4, when they were able to scrape another run accross the plate to make things exciting. With two runners on and two outs, the Rebels were not able to overcome phenomenal pitching by the Blues. The final score was 4–3, with the Rebels just missing the last playoff berth for the tournament. 

While it was disappointing to miss the playoffs, it was overall a very successful tournament. The Rebels added several teammates/friends from many other countries, including Canada, Yucatán/Mexico, Germany, and Australia. The Team has built a very strong core of quality men/players. They’ll be looking forward to competing in 2026 and Beyond!