KANSAS CITY — Texas Wesleyan University climbed two posts in the final
GoRout NAIA Baseball Top 25 Coaches' Poll of the 2026 season, climbing to No. 15 as conference tournaments begin nationwide.
The Rams (39-8) continued their late-season surge, rising two spots in the April 29 poll, which marked the third consecutive ranking cycle in which Taylor (Ind.) held the No. 1 position. Texas Wesleyan's steady ascent places it firmly in contention heading into postseason play.
At the top of the poll, Taylor (45-4) remained No. 1 after collecting seven first-place votes, while Bellevue (Neb.) (44-3) jumped to No. 2 with six first-place votes. Georgia Gwinnett (43-6) slipped to No. 3 despite earning one first-place vote.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) moved up to No. 4, and Cumberlands (Ky.) climbed four spots to No. 5 for one of the week's biggest gains. Kansas Wesleyan also rose four positions, landing at No. 9.
Milligan (Tenn.) posted the largest jump in the poll, climbing from No. 21 to No. 11, while Huntington (Ind.) and British Columbia re-entered the rankings.
The April 29 poll is the final coaches' poll of the season. NAIA postseason qualifiers and selections will be announced May 6.
| Trend |
Rank |
Last |
|
Institution [First-Place Votes] |
Record |
Points |
| ● |
1 |
1 |
 |
Taylor (Ind.) [7] |
45-4 |
382 |
| ▲ |
2 |
3 |
 |
Bellevue (Neb.) [6] |
44-3 |
378 |
| ▼ |
3 |
2 |
 |
Georgia Gwinnett [1] |
43-6 |
368 |
| ▲ |
4 |
5 |
 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
38-7 |
335 |
| ▲ |
5 |
9 |
 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
41-7 |
322 |
| ▼ |
6 |
4 |
 |
Johnson (Tenn.) |
36-10 |
297 |
| ▼ |
7 |
6 |
 |
Missouri Baptist |
38-8 |
291 |
| ▲ |
8 |
12 |
 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
35-15 |
283 |
| ▲ |
9 |
10 |
 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
43-6 |
274 |
| ▲ |
10 |
13 |
 |
Doane (Neb.) |
39-8 |
259 |
| ▲ |
11 |
21 |
 |
Milligan (Tenn.) |
38-11 |
250 |
| ▼ |
12 |
7 |
 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
38-12 |
241 |
| ▼ |
13 |
8 |
 |
Texas A&M - Victoria |
35-13 |
234 |
| ▼ |
14 |
11 |
 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
35-15 |
222 |
| ▲ |
15 |
17 |
 |
Texas Wesleyan |
39-8 |
212 |
| ● |
16 |
16 |
 |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
37-14 |
177 |
| ▲ |
17 |
22 |
 |
Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) |
36-14 |
161 |
| ▲ |
18 |
19 |
 |
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) |
35-12 |
140 |
| ▼ |
19 |
15 |
 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
33-17 |
136 |
| ▲ |
20 |
22 |
 |
IU Southeast (Ind.) |
35-14 |
129 |
| ▼ |
21 |
18 |
 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
36-13 |
127 |
| ▲ |
22 |
RV |
 |
Huntington (Ind.) |
37-10 |
89 |
| ▲ |
23 |
24 |
 |
Marian (Ind.) |
35-14 |
82 |
| ▼ |
T-24 |
20 |
 |
Louisiana Christian |
35-13 |
65 |
| ▲ |
T-24 |
RV |
 |
British Columbia |
36-13 |
65 |
Receiving Votes: Indiana Tech 51, Oakland City (Ind.) 45, Loyola (La.) 44, Concordia (Neb.) 43, St. Thomas (Fla.) 21, Keiser (Fla.) 15, Northwestern Ohio 14, Nelson (Texas) 14, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 11, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 11, Faulkner (Ala.) 6, Ottawa (Kan.) 2, OUAZ (Ariz.) 2.
Dropped out of Top 25: Loyola (La.), St. Thomas (Fla.)
Key: RV - Receiving Votes, ▲- Climbed, ▼- Dropped, ● - Steady
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.
