KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Southern baseball presented by Arvest Bank was pegged to finish fourth overall in the 2026 MIAA preseason rankings, the league announced Friday.
The Lions picked up a first place voted and accumulated 97 total points in the poll.
Central Missouri topped the preseason rankings, as voted upon by MIAA coaches, totaling 144 points and 12 first-place votes.
MSSU completed the 2025 season with a 28–25 overall record, marking the program's 15th winning season over the past 18 years. The Lions finished 18–18 in MIAA play and hosted the MIAA Tournament Championship, advancing to the semifinal round.
Six Lions earned All-MIAA honors, highlighted by Gold Glove selections
Drew Townsend and
Brayden Luikart in the outfield.
Ethan Clark,
Jacob Filip,
Chayton Beck, and
Nate Mieszkowski also received All-MIAA recognition. Townsend capped off a standout season by earning ABCA/Rawlings Central All-Region Second Team honors.
The Lions open the 2026 campaign Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 at the Dugan Invitational in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
2026 MIAA BASEBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Central Missouri [12] –
144 points
2. Pittsburg State –
125 points
3. Central Oklahoma –
115 points
4. Missouri Southern [1] – 97 points
5. Washburn –
93 points
6. Fort Hays State –
92 points
7. Rogers State –
82 points
8. Emporia State –
72 points
9. Northwest Missouri –
67 points
10. Missouri Western –
50 points
11. Northeastern State –
32 points
12. Arkansas-Fort Smith –
25 points
13. Newman –
20 points
[#] - First Place Votes
MIAA head coaches selected Central Missouri, the six-time defending MIAA champion, to claim the league's regular season crown once again.
UCM totaled 144 points and received 12 first-place votes to top the 2026 MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Mules won the league's 2025 regular season title with an MIAA record of 29-7. It was the Mules' sixth consecutive MIAA title and 31st overall. Eleven-year Head Coach Kyle Crookes led Central Missouri back to the NCAA Division II College Baseball Championship Series last season where the Mules finished as the 2025 national runners-up after falling to the University of Tampa 2-1 in the championship series.
Pittsburg State was picked second in the coaches poll with 125 points, while Central Oklahoma finished third with 115 points. Both the Gorillas and the Bronchos advanced to the 2025 NCAA postseason. After Central Oklahoma captured its first MIAA tournament title, the Bronchos suffered back-to-back losses in the NCAA Central Region Championship Tournament. Pittsburg State carried its season as far as the Central Region Championship series where the Gorillas lost back-to-back games to the Mules.
Missouri Southern finished fourth in the preseason poll with 97 points and the remaining first-place selection. Washburn concluded the coaches' top five teams with 93 points, and Fort Hays State was close behind in sixth with 92 points. Rogers State was picked seventh, followed by Emporia State, Northwest Missouri, Missouri Western, Northeastern State, Arkansas-Fort Smith and Newman.
Arvest Bank is the season-presenting sponsor for Missouri Southern baseball.
