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Texas A&M-Victoria leads the 2026 RRAC Baseball Championship Tournament that begins April 24
Posted: Apr 23, 2026

Texas A&M-Victoria leads the 2026 RRAC Baseball Championship Tournament that begins April 24

 
WACO, Texas (April 23, 2026) – As the top seed, Texas A&M-Victoria enters the 2026 RRAC Baseball Tournament starting April 24, following their first-ever regular-season championship. Eight teams will be on the field in the First-Round Series, which pits the highest-seeded teams against each other.
 
Making the cut for this year's tournament and joining A&M-Victoria are second-seed LSU Shreveport, third-seed LSU Alexandria, fourth-seed Louisiana Christian, fifth-seed Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), sixth-seed Texas A&M-Texarkana, seventh-seed Southwest (N.M.), and eighth-seed Jarvis Christian (Texas).
 
 
LSUS won the regular season in 2022-2025, 2018-2019 (2020 canceled), and 2011-2014. OLLU took the title in 2021, while LSUA won in 2015-2017. In the postseason, LSUS claimed titles in 2011-2013, 2015-2017, 2019, 2021, and 2025; LSUA in 2018 and 2022; A&M-Victoria A&M-Victoria in 2023; and LCU in 2024.

Top-Seed Texas A&M-Victoria vs. Eighth-Seed Jarvis Christian (Texas)

 
TEXAS A&M-VICTORIA won its first-ever RRAC regular-season title after battling LSUS all year. The Pilots, which started the season with a No. 1 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, went 13-0 before suffering their first loss to OLLU on March 21 (their first conference loss since March 22, 2024, against A&M-Victoria 5-4 in 10 innings).  A few days later, LSUS lost three against A&M-Victoria, and the Jaguars took over first place in the RRAC for the rest of the season.
 
The Jaguars, led by fourth-year Head Coach Jonathan Stavinoha, are 21-6 in conference play and 33-13 overall. The team's stat line and RRAC rankings are as follows: first with 391 assists and 1.38 WHIP (best in NAIA); second with 105 doubles (ninth in NAIA); third with a .326 batting average, a 964 fielding percentage, 1,466 at-bats, 478 hits, 263 walks, 347 RBIs, and a .443 on-base percentage; fourth with13 triples, a .462 slugging percentage, and 394 runs; and fifth with 23 home runs and 90 stolen bases.
 
Among A&M-Victoria's leaders are Antonio Benitez, who is first with 65 runs (sixth in NAIA) and 37 stolen bases (sixth in NAIA), and second with 71 hits and 177 at-bats;  Jackson Purcell, who is second with 105 assists and third with 174 at-bats; Beck Zimmerman, who is fourth with 50 RBIs and 167 at-bats, and fifth with 62 hits and 13 doubles; Garrett Smith, who is second with 56 RBIs, 17 doubles, 11 home runs, and 278 putouts, third with 110 total bases, and fifth with 164 at-bats; Jonathan Jones, who is first with 10 wins and 82.2 innings pitched; Blane Zeplin, who is first with 98 strikeouts, and second with 75.0 innings pitched, and nine wins; and Matthew Mejia, who is second with five saves.
 
A&M-Victoria, which has been ranked No. 20 (March 4), RV 12 (March 18), No. 10 (April 1), and is currently No. 8 in the NAIA (April 15), will host eighth-seed JCU. The Jaguars swept the Bulldogs in the regular season, 17-4, 9-0, and 17-4. Earlier in the season, from March 5 through March 28, the Jaguars won 14 consecutive games.
 
JARVIS CHRISTIAN is 4-23 in the RRAC and 4-30 overall. The Bulldogs' stat line and RRAC rankings are as follows: eighth with 222 hits and 27 doubles; ninth with 934 at-bats, 114 RBIs, a .238 batting average, a .330 on-base percentage, a .328 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 237.2 innings pitched, and 138 strikeouts; and 10th with 99 walks and a .933 fielding percentage.
 
JCU's Aiden Serda leads the conference with nine sacrifice hits (fourth in NAIA), while Gregory Alacron is ninth with 65.1 innings pitched, and Josue Vega is 24th with 14 appearances.
 
The Bulldogs, led by four-year Head Coach Dion Holbrook, won their series against Xavier (La.) 2-1 and two of three games against Texas College.

Second-Seed LSU Shreveport vs. Seventh-Seed Southwest

LSU SHREVEPORT was the top seed in the NAIA for three periods: the Nov. 5 preseason poll, the March 4 first poll, and the March 18 second poll. On April 4, the Pilots dropped to fourth, and in the latest poll from April 15, they are seventh.
 
LSUS ranks first in the conference with 36 wins, 517 hits (fifth in NAIA), 36 triples (best in NAIA), 54 home runs, 836 total bases, 316 walks (best in NAIA), 44 sacrifice flies (best in NAIA), 188 stolen bases (fourth in NAIA), a .347 batting average, a .471 on-base percentage (second in NAIA), a .561 slugging average, a 3.40 ERA (second in NAIA), 1,144 putouts, 391 assists, and .972 fielding percentage.
 
The Pilots are led by Carlos Sanchez, who is first in the RRAC with 186 at-bats (fourth in NAIA), 73 hits (sixth in NAIA), 73 RBIs (best in NAIA), seven sacrifice flies (fifth in NAIA), 13 triples (best in NAIA), and 147 total bases (fourth in NAIA), and second with 33 stolen bases; Spencer Sullivan, who is first with 42 walks; Makana Olaso, who is first with 14 home runs; Quaterrion Walton, who is third with 31 stolen bases, fifth with six triples (fifth in NAIA), and he leads the conference with 131 assists (fifth in NAIA); and Brock Lucas, who leads with a 2.12 ERA, third with 90 strikeouts, and fifth with 72.1 innings pitched.
 
LSUS has been led by Head Coach Brad Neffendorf since 2020. In early April, Neffendorf was honored for his 300th career win with the Pilots.  The team is 36-12 overall and 20-7 in the RRAC and will meet the seventh-seed USW in the first-round series. LSUS defeated the Mustangs in the regular season 11-5, 10-3, and 13-3.
 
SOUTHWEST is 11-16 in the RRAC and 15-30 overall for seventh place. The Mustangs won their last two games against A&M-Victoria – 8-7 in 11 innings and 18-12.
 
The Mustangs' stat line and rankings are: third with 31 double plays; fourth with 30 home runs; fifth with a .438 slugging percentage, 1,355 at-bats, 25 sacrifice hits, and 366 assists; sixth with 292 RBIs, 242 walks, a .301 batting average, 74 doubles, 11 triples, 594 total bases, and a .951 fielding percentage; and seventh with a .411 on-base percentage, 15 sacrifice flies, 317 runs, 57 stolen bases, 328.2 innings pitched, 279 strikeouts, and 986 putouts.
 
Leading USW in the RRAC are Dong Joon Shin, who is second with 114 total bases, third with 65 hits, fourth with 10 home runs, and sixth with 51 runs; and JJ Rosales, who is third with 262 putouts.
 
Head Coach Steve Appel has led the Mustangs since 2014.

Third-Seed LSU Alexandria vs. Sixth-Seed Texas A&M-Texarkana

LSU ALEXANDRIA will host sixth-seed TAMUT in the opening round of the tournament. The Generals won the regular-season series against the Eagles by scores of 6-5, 4-3, and 13-10. The team, led by fifth-year Head Coach Kody Gautreaux, is 20-7 in the conference and 32-13 overall. The Generals received 34 votes in the latest NAIA poll.
 
LSUA's stat line and conference rankings are as follows: second with 37 sacrifice flies (fourth in NAIA) and 26 triples (second in NAIA); third with 404 runs and138 stolen bases; fourth with 338 RBIs, 252 walks, and 30 double plays; fifth with a 5.54 ERA, 349.0 innings pitched, 1,039 putouts, and a .954 fielding percentage; and sixth with 1,333 at-bats, a .433 on-base percentage, 18 home runs, 291 strikeouts, and 328 assists.
 
The Generals' leaders include Cade LaBruyere, who is second with six triples, third with 53 runs, fourth with 50 RBIs, and sixth with 34 walks; Dalton Wilson, who is fifth with 26 stolen bases and 52 runs; Michael Sutton, who is fourth with eight wins; and Carter Fabre, who is fourth with 72.2 innings pitched.
 
TEXAS A&M-TEXARKANA, the sixth seed, is 14-13 in the RRAC and 26-23 overall. The Eagles are led by second-year Head Coach Chase Brewster.
 
The Eagles' stat line and conference rankings are as follows: first with 1,560 at-bats (sixth in NAIA), 440 RBIs (fourth in NAIA), 110 doubles (fifth in NAIA), and 504 runs (fourth in NAIA); second with 509 hits (seventh in NAIA), 298 walks (third in NAIA), a .326 batting average, a .451 on-base percentage, a .507 slugging percentage, 48 home runs, 791 total bases, 143 stolen bases, 368.2 innings pitched, and 1,106 putouts; and third with 31 sacrifice flies, 14 triples, and 355 strikeouts.
 
The Eagles are led by James Provencio, who is sixth with 46 RBIs; Austin Kerns, who is third with 24 double plays, fifth with 35 walks, and sixth with eight home runs; Jayce Blalock, who is fourth with 14 doubles and seventh with 85 total bases; and Ahmar Donatto, who is fourth with 30 stolen bases, fifth with 100 assists, and sixth with 51 runs.

Fourth-Seed Louisiana Christian vs. Fifth-Seed Our Lady of the Lake

LOUISIANA CHRISTIAN, the fourth seed, will host fifth-seed OLLU in the tournament's opening round.  LCU won the regular-season series 2-1 with 3-0 and 7-4 victories, and OLLU won the third game 11-2.
 
LCU, led by 26-year Head Coach Mike Byrnes, is 19-8 in the conference and 34-11 overall. Byrnes reached his 500th win in 2024, and he currently has 577 career wins. The Wildcats were ranked 14th in the first NAIA poll; they dropped one spot to No. 15 on March 18, then to No. 19 on April 1, and to No. 20 on April 15.
 
LCU's stat line and conference rankings are as follows: first with 392 strikeouts; second with 31 sacrifice hits and 33 wins; third with a .472 slugging percentage, 40 home runs, and seven saves; fourth with 634 total bases and a 4.58 ERA; fifth with 424 hits, 80 doubles, 341 runs, and 1,019 putouts; and sixth with 1,343 at-bats, 301 RBIs, a .316 batting average, a .419 on-base percentage, 339.2 innings pitched, and 334 assists.
 
Leading the Wildcats in the conference are Chris Kelley, who is fourth with 10 home runs and has a perfect fielding percentage; Caleb Brown, who is second with eight sacrifice hits; Kade Linn, who is second with a .270 ERA, nine wins (third in NAIA), and 91 strikeouts (fifth in NAIA), fourth with 20 appearances, and eighth with 66.2 innings pitched; Colton Williams, who has a perfect fielding percentage and is second with five saves; Braden Trull, who is fourth with 260 putouts and has a perfect fielding percentage.
 
OUR LADY OF THE LAKE is 19-8 in the conference and 32-15 overall. OLLU received 16 votes in the April 1 poll.  They went on an 11-game win streak from Feb. 27 through March 14, becoming the first team to beat top-seed LSUS this season.
 
OLLU has been led by Head Coach Matt Piker since 2022. In February, he was celebrated for reaching his 100th career win. The Saints' stat line and conference rankings are as follows: first with 31 sacrifice hits and 44 double plays (second in NAIA); second with a 3.77 ERA (fourth in NAIA); third with 88 doubles and 367.1 innings pitched; fourth with 1,425 at-bats, 453 hits, and 95 stolen bases; fifth with 252 walks, a .318 batting average, a .428 on-base percentage, 25 sacrifice flies, 12 triples, 610 total bases, and 330 strikeouts; and sixth with a .428 slugging percentage and 343 runs.
 
The Saints are led by Jack Kalisky, who was the only RRAC player to receive NAIA Preseason Baseball All-American honors. He is first with 317 putouts, a .539 on-base percentage, and 18 doubles (eighth in NAIA), second with 39 walks, third with a .413 batting average, fourth with 64 hits, fifth with 103 total bases, sixth with 46 RBIs and .665 slugging percentage, and seventh with seven home runs. Benjamyn Hovda is sixth with 161 at-bats and seventh with 20 stolen bases. Donovan Gamez is fourth with eight wins, sixth with 12 games started and 72 strikeouts, and seventh with 71.1 innings pitched.
 

What's next

The four winners from the opening rounds of the RRAC Championship will advance to the final site to compete in a double-elimination tournament to determine the RRAC Champion.  LSU Shreveport will host the final site at the Sterlington Sports Complex in Sterlington, La., from May 1-3. Game One will be at 1 p.m., followed by Game Two at 5 p.m. on Friday; Game Three will be at 11 a.m., followed by Game Four at 3 p.m., and Game Five at 7 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the Championship Game will take place at 1 p.m., and if necessary, a second finals game will be at 5 p.m. All of the games will be live-streamed.
 
As regular-season champions, A&M-Victoria gets an automatic bid to the 69th Annual Baseball National Championship. The tournament champion also advances to the opening rounds, and other qualifying teams and seedings will be announced in early May. Opening rounds will take place at campus sites from May 11-14, and the World Series will be held May 22-30 at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.