The trio at Blinn, after winning the Junior College World Series in 2024 with Cougar paws, held up. | Photo provided courtesy of UH athletics
Houston Baseball might have had its fair share of roster turnover, but it was no problem for coach Todd Whitting when opening the door for a trio of championship-caliber hitters from just 80 miles up the road.
Junior infielders Cade Climie, Connor McGinnis and junior outfielder Brandon Bishop each guided the Blinn Buccaneers baseball program to its first NJCAA national championship in program history in 2024. They now don red and white with a script for UH in the program’s second season in the Big 12 conference.
“You want to recruit players from winning programs and you want them to have a mentality of winning,” Whitting said. “They know what it takes to win, and they know how to go through adversity.”
That adversity, in particular, was when the Buccaneers began the 2024 campaign with a record of 5-8 through the first 13 games. However, they would then go on to win 42 of their next 51 games to make their second consecutive Junior College World Series appearance and win their first NJCAA Division I Baseball championship.
Cade Climie, infielder
Houston infielder Cade Climie (12) attempts to tag Minnesota infielder Jack Spanier (7) at first base, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Climie, a Sugar Land native and Seven Lakes High School alum, chose Houston as his destination to extend his championship talent. He factored wanting to play for Whitting in his decision.
In 12 games at Houston in 2025, the Big 12 Conference Preseason Newcomer of the Year is batting .282 with an OPS of 1.044, four home runs, 12 RBIs and 10 walks drawn.
In a game on March 7 against Grambling State at Schroeder Park, he went 2-for-2 with a grand slam, a solo home run and two walks drawn.
“I’ve been around the block enough to, where I’ve seen what it takes to win,” Climie said. “I’m just trying to bring what got success in the places I’ve been, and bring it here to make this team even better.”
In the 2024 season at Blinn College, Climie posted a .394 average with a 1.305 OPS, batting in 74 runs, hitting 20 home runs and drawing 46 walks.
In Blinn’s 12-5 national championship game victory over Northwest Florida, Climie went 3-for-6 with two doubles and two runs batted in, capping off a 15-for-27 overall performance in the tournament. As a result, he was honored as NJCAA World Series MVP, Most Valuable Hitter and named to the All-Tournament Team.
In December 2024, Climie became rated D1Baseball.com’s No. 1 JuCo transfer hitter and No. 64 college prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft.
Before his national championship run at Blinn, Climie attended Temple College where he batted .358 with an OPS of 1.061, hitting eight home runs and batting in 40 runs in 2023.
While at Seven Lakes High School, Climie was named the 24th-ranked player in Texas for the class of 2022 and ranked the top third baseman in the state and 16th nationally, all by PerfectGame USA. In 2018, he competed in the 14U division of MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby, which he won as part of MLB All-Star Game week.
Climie’s emphasis, however, comes down to being the six-tool player who may not get all the recognition.
“All these people see what you do on TV, and that’s cool and all, but being a good player and a good teammate off the field is what nobody really talks about, and I think that’s the most forgotten trait in the clubhouse,” Climie said. “I remember coming in, I was a little quiet, but it was easy to make a good group with these guys and I’d say we’re family now.”
Climie also had the benefit of committing to Houston alongside his championed teammates, Bishop and McGinnis.
“Those are my guys and we went through the fire last year together,” Climie said. “There were ups and downs, but they were there every step of the way.”
Connor McGinnis, infielder
Houston Infielder Connor McGinnis (17) on a run during the third inning of an NCAA college baseball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Joshua Braggs/The Cougar
McGinnis, a native of Frisco, Texas and an alum of Hebron High School in Carrollton, hauls in a team-leading .399 average from the 2024 season at Blinn, as well as a 1.193 OPS with 56 runs batted in, 15 home runs and 45 walks drawn. He was named 2024 Region 14 Player of the Year and Region 14 South Zone co-Player of the Year.
While McGinnis cherishes his efforts in bringing a national championship to Blinn College, he has his sights set on a newer and larger landscape.
“It’s a brand new team now and a whole new season, so you just have to carry it over,” McGinnis said. “It’s going to be a lot different than JuCo, I mean these are the top guys and so the challenges are going to be more. Everything is a grind, so just keep working.”
McGinnis carries a .390 average and an OPS of 1.284 with three home runs, 13 RBIS and 10 walks drawn through 13 games at Houston in 2025.
He also values this well-established chemistry with teammate Climie.
“I would say you have more trust in that circle, and it’s not like learning a nuclei or anything,” McGinnis said. “You already have that trust built off of last year.”
Brandon Bishop, outfielder
Bishop, a College Station native and A&M Consolidated High School alum, brings two consecutive Junior College World Series appearances, an average of .333 and an OPS of .898 with 100 runs batted in, five home runs and 102 walks drawn over the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Blinn with him to Houston, including a .370 tournament average in 2024 and a 2-for-5 performance in the national championship game.
In 2021, as a senior at A&M Consolidated High School, Bishop was selected as an All-District 19-5A Second Team and Bryan-College Station Eagle All-Brazos Valley outfielder and named Academic All-State. As a junior in 2020, he posted a .571 average paired with a .637 on-base percentage.
“We all know what we bring to the table, and it’s just good to meet new guys and show what we can do but also to see what everybody else can do and get everything meshing together,” Bishop said. “Coming in, a lot of us were in the same spot as new guys but I feel like everyone has adjusted well, and we’ve started to figure out what we want to do and what we think we can do, but it’s been a super close team and things feel really good right now.”
Bishop’s speed and defense are critical, but they are no more important than leadership, which Houston desperately needs amid a relatively small returning group.
“As a team, we have to decide what we want early on, stick to it and hold each other accountable to that,” Bishop said. “I like to have a leadership role myself, but at the same time, everyone has to play their own role.”
“I want to get this place back on the right track,” he said, referencing Houston’s 26-28 finish in the 2024 season, including a 7-21 record in conference play. “Last year wasn’t what they wanted, but I think we’ve got a lot of the right pieces this year to make a big impact.”
What lies ahead for the trio
Climie, McGinnis and Bishop bring their championship pedigree to Houston as they prepare for a competitive conference race, with the Big 12 slate opening on March 14 against Texas Tech.
“In one year, you can surprise a whole lot of people,” Bishop said. “We know what we are capable of.”
