The Iola Hormigas may have lost 4-3 to end the regular season but the city of Iola may have won following an announcement from the Pecos League.
In a social media post Tuesday evening, Pecos League officials announced the return of the Iola Hormigas next season, who are one of four North Mountain Division teams taking the field during opening day of 2026.
As for the current iteration of the Hormigas, Iola fell 4-3 after taking the 2025 Mountain North Division champion to the final inning. It ended with the Hormigas being on the wrong end of a walk-off home run but Iola held their own matching Garden City (42-9) run-for-run until the Wind’s final at-bat.
Iola Hormigas outfielder Zach Trangmar ended the year on a tear. He drove in a team-leading two RBIs, followed by outfielder Xander Nabors with a sacrifice fly. After spending much of the year as a role player from the bench, outfielder Amari Kemp showed he, too, can swing the lumber with a team-leading two hits in his final game. Pitcher T.C. Burns took the loss in his final appearance, tallying a trio of strikeouts over eight innings while allowing four runs on six hits and six walks.
With the loss, the Hormigas wrap up the year 13-34 and fourth in the Mountain North. The North Platte 80s (27-19), who swept the Hormigas earlier this week, took second in the Mountain North to secure their spot in the playoffs while another division rival in the Blackwell Flycatchers made the postseason by taking second in the wild card race.
Before coming to Allen County, the Hormigas were originally intended to play exclusively in Kansas City, Mo.
After plans for stadium revitalization and player accommodations fell through, the team relocated to Iola and played games in Kansas City on Sundays to fulfill contractual obligations.
Along with hosting players culled from the defunct Austin Weirdos, the Hormigas also hosted a slew of players from Bravos De Leon of Liga De Beisbol, Mexico’s oldest active professional sports league.
While some players such as Santiago Rojo had their seasons cut short due to injury, others remained active all season as pitchers Tommy Carr, Jesus Audeves, third baseman Julio Zamora and second baseman Antuan Franco finished the year on the Hormigas roster.
Iola also sent three players to the Pecos League All-star game earlier this month including pitcher Jacob Slocum, outfielder Miguel Tejada Jr. and catcher Nicholas “Chavo” Chavez, who signed with the Texas-Mexico League shortly after his all-star appearance.
