RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Tuesday, the Great American Conference released the results of the 2026 baseball coaches poll. Arkansas Tech collected six first-place votes to enter the season as the preseason favorite.
A season ago, the Wonder Boys won the regular-season title and earned a third-straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament. Tech returns three All-GAC selections in first baseman Tyler Sardelli, shortstop Cole Dawson and starting pitcher Daniel Hutchison. Sardelli hit .380 with 10 home runs. Dawson ranked third in the GAC with a .390 average. His 83 hits and 62 runs both placed him second in the conference. He added 21 stolen bases. Hutchison went 9-2 with 75 strikeouts in 80.0 innings.
Harding garnered five-first votes and placed second in the voting. They won their first GAC Championship title and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year. They must replace Maddox Long, the Central Region Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-American. They do return third baseman Logan Lacey who garnered multiple All-Region honors and Collin Helms, an All-GAC catcher. Lacey hit .338 with 19 home runs, 58 RBI and a league-leading 70 runs scored. The 19 home runs ranked second.
Southern Arkansas picked up a first-place vote and finished third. The Muleriders must replace all seven of their 2025 All-GAC selections. Henderson State claimed fourth. The Reddies finished second at the GAC Championships and earned their first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2022.
Arkansas-Monticello took fifth. The Weevils gave the GAC four NCAA Tournament participants. The Weevils return two-time All-GAC selection Cam Tanner. He hit .296 with a .422 on-base percentage and 36 RBI.
Ouachita Baptist came in sixth, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers return First-Team starting pitcher Chase Oberle, Second-Team selection Garrett Graham and Honorable Mention designated hitter Jaxson Jester. Oberle led the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio and posted the fewest walks allowed per nine innings. He went 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA. He struck out 97 in 92.1 innings pitched. Graham hit .311 with eight home runs and a .527 slugging percentage. Jester hit .293 with a .373 on-base percentage.
The Rangers bring back 2025 GAC Freshman of the Year Logan Sandoval and First-Team starting pitcher Will Kates. Sandoval went 4-3 with 30 strikeouts and a save in 15 appearances. Kates finished second to Long in both ERA and WHIP. His 6.81 hits allowed per nine innings paced the GAC. He posted a 6-3 record with a 2.42 ERA. Bison second baseman Lucas Schaefer returns after producing the third-best slugging percentage, .686, in the conference. He added 12 home runs and 46 RBI.
Southeastern Oklahoma State finished in ninth and Southwestern Oklahoma State took 10th. The Savage Storm lost GAC Player of the Year Wesley Mitchell to graduation.
East Central and Southern Nazarene rounded out the poll. The Crimson Storm feature a new head coach in Chris Moddelmog. As part of his 21-year coaching experience, he spent three years, 2009-2011 s at Ouachita Baptist.
The regular season begins on Friday, January 30. UAM, Henderson State, Oklahoma Baptist, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas will compete at the Dugan Invitational in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Wonder Boys will participate in the Houston Winter Invitational
The 2026 GAC Championships will continue its two-weekend format. Beginning on Thursday, April 30, Four teams will play at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma and four will play at Majestic Park in Hot Springs. The top remaining seed will host a best-of-three series that will take place from Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9.