KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tennessee Wesleyan finishes the 2026 season atop the GoRout NAIA Baseball Top 25 Postseason Poll after capturing the Avista NAIA World Series National Championship title in Lewiston, Idaho. The Bulldogs made one of the largest jumps in the final poll, climbing from No. 16 to No. 1 following their title run and ending the season with a 49-15 record.
National runner-up Taylor (Ind.) closes the year at No. 2 after spending the previous poll at No. 1, while William Carey (Miss.), Southeastern (Fla.), and IU Southeast (Ind.) round out the top five, each making notable jumps from the previous poll to the postseason poll.
| Trend | Rank | Last | Institution | Record | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 16 | Tennessee Wesleyan [13] | 49-15 | 360 | |
| ▼ | 2 | 1 | Taylor (Ind.) | 56-7 | 348 | |
| ▲ | 3 | 19 | William Carey (Miss.) | 41-20 | 327 | |
| ▲ | 4 | 14 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 45-18 | 318 | |
| ▲ | 5 | 20 | IU Southeast (Ind.) | 44-16 | 295 | |
| ▼ | 6 | 4 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 45-9 | 292 | |
| ▼ | 7 | 3 | Georgia Gwinnett | 49-8 | 280 | |
| ▲ | 8 | 18 | Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | 43-15 | 279 | |
| ▼ | 9 | 6 | Johnson (Tenn.) | 40-14 | 269 | |
| ● | 10 | 10 | Doane (Neb.) | 47-11 | 245 | |
| ▼ | T-11 | 2 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 50-6 | 217 | |
| ▲ | T-11 | 12 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 43-14 | 217 | |
| ▼ | 13 | 9 | Kansas Wesleyan | 50-9 | 203 | |
| ▼ | 14 | 5 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 48-10 | 165 | |
| ▼ | 15 | 8 | Webber International (Fla.) | 39-19 | 161 | |
| ▼ | 16 | 7 | Missouri Baptist | 40-12 | 159 | |
| ▼ | 17 | 11 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 41-15 | 138 | |
| ▲ | 18 | T-24 | British Columbia | 40-17 | 135 | |
| ▼ | 19 | 15 | Texas Wesleyan | 42-12 | 126 | |
| ▲ | 20 | 21 | Hope International (Calif.) | 39-15 | 122 | |
| ▼ | 21 | 17 | Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) | 40-17 | 106 | |
| ▼ | 22 | 13 | Texas A&M – Victoria | 36-17 | 96 | |
| ▲ | 23 | T-24 | Louisiana Christian | 37-15 | 86 | |
| ▲ | 24 | NR | Indiana Tech | 43-17 | 77 | |
| ▲ | 25 | NR | Loyola (La.) | 37-19 | 55 |
Receiving Votes: Concordia (Neb.) 52, Nelson (Texas) 46, Oklahoma Wesleyan 36, Madonna (Mich.) 30, Keiser (Fla.) 28, Huntington (Ind.) 24, Marian (Ind.) 11, Oakland City (Ind.) 11, Northwestern Ohio 10, Faulkner (Ala.) 7, St. Thomas (Fla.) 5, LSU Alexandria (La.) 2.
Dropped out of Top 25: Marian (Ind.), Huntington (Ind.)
Key: RV – Receiving Votes, ▲– Climbed, ▼– Dropped, ● – Steady
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –Tennessee Wesleyan’s Billy Berry has been named the ABCA-Rawlings NAIA Coach of the Year following the 2026 season that saw the Bulldogs capture their third NAIA World Series title and add another milestone to the program’s well-decorated legacy. The National Coach of the Year was chosen by the NAIA-BCA Past Presidents Committee […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The American Baseball Coaches Association, Rawlings, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics have named the nine members of the 2026 ABCA-Rawlings NAIA Gold Glove Team, selected by the NAIA Baseball Coaches Association All-America Committee. Two players from Hope International (Calif.) earned Gold Glove honors. Pitcher Josh Landry recorded two putouts […]
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the 2026 NAIA Baseball All-Americans, Player and Pitcher of the Year honors following the World Series last week in Lewiston, Idaho.
Tennessee Wesleyan erupted for 21 runs on 22 hits to overwhelm Taylor (Ind.) 21-3 in the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series Championship at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho.