Four AAC Teams Garner Votes in NAIA Coaches' Poll
(Story provided by NAIA Athletic Communications)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The first regular-season edition of the 2026 GoRout NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll is out, and four Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) teams received votes.
Tennessee Wesleyan and Johnson lead the way as they sit at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Tennessee Wesleyan garnered 356 voting points, with Johnson receiving 341.
Meanwhile, Milligan collected 34 voting points, and Montreat picked up six.
| Trend | Rank | Last | Institution [First-Place Votes] | Record | Pts. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | 
|
LSU Shreveport (La.) [13] | 18-3 | 420 |
| ● | 2 | 2 | 
|
Georgia Gwinnett | 18-1 | 399 |
| ▲ | 3 | 9 | 
|
Taylor (Ind.) | 16-1 | 395 |
| ▲ | 4 | 5 | 
|
Tennessee Wesleyan | 16-5 | 356 |
| ▲ | 5 | 18 | 
|
Johnson (Tenn.) | 17-1 | 341 |
| ● | 6 | 6 | 
|
Cumberlands (Ky.) | 13-3 | 338 |
| ▲ | 7 | 22 | 
|
Bellevue (Neb.) | 12-2 | 330 |
| ▼ | 8 | 3 | 
|
Southeastern (Fla.) | 12-6 | 325 |
| ▼ | 9 | 7 | 
|
Loyola (La.) | 15-6 | 293 |
| ▼ | 10 | 4 | 
|
Hope International (Calif.) | 13-6 | 283 |
| ▲ | 11 | 12 | 
|
Missouri Baptist | 9-3 | 271 |
| ▲ | 12 | 21 | 
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 12-2 | 256 |
| ▲ | 13 | RV | 
|
Faulkner (Ala.) | 11-6 | 222 |
| ▲ | 14 | NR | 
|
Louisiana Christian | 19-4 | 204 |
| ▼ | 15 | 11 | 
|
William Carey (Miss.) | 14-6 | 190 |
| ▲ | 16 | 19 | 
|
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | 14-5 | 184 |
| ▲ | 17 | RV | 
|
St. Thomas (Fla.) | 11-7 | 154 |
| ▼ | 18 | 16 | 
|
Concordia (Neb.) | 11-3 | 143 |
| ▲ | 19 | RV | 
|
Kansas Wesleyan | 15-3 | 134 |
| ▲ | 20 | RV | 
|
Ottawa (Kan.) | 17-3 | 133 |
| ▲ | 21 | NR | 
|
Doane (Neb.) | 11-2 | 129 |
| ▲ | 22 | 24 | 
|
Keiser (Fla.) | 13-5 | 122 |
| ▼ | 23 | 17 | 
|
Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 16-7 | 91 |
| ▲ | 24 | NR | 
|
Huntington (Ind.) | 14-1 | 74 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | 
|
Oakland City (Ind.) | 17-2 | 71 |
Key: RV - Receiving Votes, NR - Not Ranked, ▲- Climbed, ▼- Dropped, ● - Steady
Dropped out of the Top 25: Arizona Christian, British Columbia, Central Methodist (Mo.), Columbia (Mo.), Oklahoma Wesleyan, Reinhardt (Ga.), Texas A&M - Victoria, Webber International (Fla.).
Receiving Votes: Oklahoma Wesleyan 66, Arizona Christian 64, Webber International (Fla.) 59, British Columbia 55, OUAZ (Ariz.) 40, Milligan (Tenn.) 34, Texas Wesleyan 30, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 21, Texas A&M - Victoria 12, Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) 10, Indiana Tech 9, Campbellsville (Ky.) 6, Montreat (N.C.) 6, Marian (Ind.) 3.
Poll Methodology
- The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
- A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
- The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
- The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
- Teams receiving only one point are not listed as "receiving votes."
- For the Preseason Poll, there is no "previous ranking" column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.