RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – With the 2026 Great American Conference baseball regular season complete, the league announced the bracket and schedule for the opening weekend of GAC Baseball Championships. The event, featuring two four-team pods, begins Thursday morning from Babe Ruth Field at Majestic Park in Hot Springs. The two advancing teams will play a best-of-three series at the home venue of the highest remaining seed.
Day one starts at 9:30 a.m. when No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State faces No. 5 Southern Arkansas. During the regular season, the Savage Storm took two of three from the Muleriders to claim a series win against SAU for the first time since 2016.
The second game features top-seeded Arkansas-Monticello and eighth-seeded East Central. The Boll Weevils earned the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in program history. The Tigers qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2016. UAM swept the regular-season series and has won 23 of its last 24 against ECU.
No. 2 Arkansas Tech takes on No. 7 Ouachita Baptist in Thursday’s third match. The Wonder Boys won twice on Saturday to claim the second seed. Meanwhile, the Tigers swept Henderson State to clinch their spot on Saturday. Tech won the regular-season series when the two met during the final weekend in March.
Thursday’s action concludes with No. 3 Harding playing No. 6 Northwestern Oklahoma State. A year ago, the Bisons won their first GAC Championship title. The Rangers secured their spot in the field on Saturday with a sweep of Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Bisons swept the Rangers during the opening weekend of conference play.
All games contested at Babe Ruth Park stream on
GACSportsNetwork.com. Visit the
GAC Championship page for more information.
2026 GAC Baseball Championships Schedule ||
Championship Bracket
THURSDAY, APRIL 30-SUNDAY, MAY 3
[8-Team, Double Elimination; Babe Ruth Field at Majestic Park; Hot Springs, Arkansas]
Thursday, April 30
Bracket 1 G1 9:30 AM No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Southern Arkansas
Bracket 1 G2 1:00 PM No. 1 Arkansas-Monticello vs. No. 8 East Central
Bracket 2 G1 4:30 PM No. 2 Arkansas Tech vs. No. 7 Ouachita Baptist
Bracket 2 G2 8:00 PM No. 3 Harding vs. No. 6 Northwestern Oklahoma State
Friday, May 1
Bracket 1 G3 9:30 AM Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Bracket 2 G3 1:00 PM Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Bracket 1 G4 4:30 PM Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Bracket 2 G4 8:00 PM Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Saturday, May 2
Bracket 1 G5 9:30 AM Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser
Bracket 2 G5 1:00 PM Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser
Bracket 1 G6 4:30 PM Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Bracket 2 G6 8:00 PM Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Sunday, May 3 (If Necessary)
Bracket 1 G7 TBD Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
Bracket 2 G7 TBD Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
FRIDAY, MAY 8-SUNDAY, MAY 10
[Best-of-Three Series; Games Played at Top Remaining Seed]
Friday, May 8
GAME 1 TBD Bracket #1 Winner vs. Bracket #2 Winner
Saturday, May 9
GAME 2 TBD Bracket #1 Winner vs. Bracket #2 Winner
Sunday, May 10 (If Necessary)
GAME 3 TBD Bracket #1 Winner vs. Bracket #2 Winner