JOPLIN, Mo. – Three members of the Missouri Southern baseball team earned 2026 D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region honors, the organization announced Monday.
Will Doherty, Brayden Luikart and
Owen Schneider were all named to the Second Team. It marked the second All-Region honors for the trio of Lions this season after earning
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-Central Region honors.
The D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region teams are voted on by members of the organization's regional committees, composed of sports information directors and athletic communications specialists.
2026 D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region Second Team: Will Doherty, Third Base
Will Doherty, a 2026 All-MIAA First Team selection, started in 52 games for the Lions at third base in 2026. He batted .301 with 43 runs, 66 hits, eight doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 64 RBI, 19 walks and 117 total bases. He slugged .534 with a .379 on-base percentage.
He ranked second on MSSU with 20 multi-hit games and is the team leader in multi-RBI games (17). Doherty went on a 16-game reached base streak in 2026 (12-game hitting streak).
Doherty earned D2CCA All-Region honors for the second time in his career, continuing to cement himself as one of the top players in the region.
2026 D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region Second Team: Brayden Luikart, Outfield
Brayden Luikart, a 2026 All-MIAA First Team and 2026 MIAA Gold Glove Team selection, led the Lions in 2026 offensively with a .377 batting average with 58 runs, 78 hits, 23 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, 46 RBI, 140 total bases, 43 walks, and 15 stolen bases. He slugged .676 with a .496 on-base percentage for 1.172 OPS.
Luikart ranked seventh in the MIAA for batting average, fourth for slugging percentage, eighth for on-base percentage, fourth for OPS, fifth for hits, first for doubles and eighth for walks this season.
In the field, Luikart notched 139 putouts and three assists on 142 chances with 0 errors for a 1.000 fielding percentage. He started in all 53 games in center.
The St. Joseph, Missouri, leadoff hitter, paced the Lions with 24 multi-hit games. Luikart also has 11 multi-RBI games. He went on a 44-game reached base streak (eight-game hitting streak).
2026 D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region Second Team: Owen Schneider, Starting Pitcher
Owen Schneider, a 2026 All-MIAA First Team pick, led the Lions pitching staff with an 8-2 mark (6-0 MIAA) over 16 starts in 2026. He notched a 3.48 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP with 72 strikeouts over 95.2 innings.
The lefty from St. Louis, ranked third in the MIAA for ERA and was sixth for opposing batting average (.232). He also was second for innings pitched, third for strikeouts and fifth for wins.
2026 D2CCA Baseball All-Central Region
First Team
C Grant Nottleman Pittsburg State
1B Noah Steele Emporia State
2B Logan Myers Emporia State
3B Landon Meyer SW Oklahoma State
SS Nate Cunningham Wayne State
OF Eric Bacon Pittsburg State
OF Dagen Brewer *# Pittsburg State
OF Camden Tanner # Arkansas-Monticello
DH Josh Bay Southern Nazarene
UT Bryce Leafgren University of Mary
UT/P Louis Magers ^ Minnesota State
SP Sawyer Allen Central Missouri
SP Colby Deaver * Emporia State
SP Mariano Gomez Augustana
SP Logan Sandoval NW Oklahoma State
RP Eric Woodley Arkansas Tech
UT/P Louis Magers ^ Minnesota State
Second Team
C Jackson Fliflet Minnesota Crookston
1B Carter Olson SE Oklahoma State
2B Ryan Kirk SE Oklahoma State
3B Will Doherty # Missouri Southern
SS Jake Berkland Minnesota State
OF JJ Bush SE Oklahoma State
OF Brayden Luikart Missouri Southern
OF Cole Yearsley Minnesota State
DH Andres Contreras Rogers State
UT Andrew Ramirez Rogers State
UT/P Braden Cannon Wayne State
SP Lucas Burgum University of Mary
SP Ethan Roark Henderson State
SP Owen Schneider Missouri Southern
SP Zach Voss Pittsburg State
RP Cole Smith University of Mary
UT/P Braden Cannon Wayne State
* - D2CCA Region Pitcher/Player of the Year || # - Two-time D2CCA All-Region || ^ - Three-time D2CCA All-Region
Arvest Bank is the season-presenting sponsor for Missouri Southern baseball.
