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The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Ahead Of The 2025 Season

The ever-changing landscape of collegiate sports has led to some changes for Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball in 2026. Here's a preview.

Jan 25, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Ahead Of The 2025 Season

The ever-changing landscape of collegiate sports has led to some changes for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The SCAC still will have 11 teams for the 2026 baseball season, but the roster will be different, with two schools departing, and two new ones joining the fray.

The conference is familiar with change, however, as a mass exodus after the 2012 season saw a structural change from two divisions to a single five-team setup in 2013.

For 2026, the single division still is in place, and the SCAC again will crown a regular-season champion, before determining a winner in a new-look SCAC Tournament.

The good news for the teams left in the SCAC is that one of the departing programs was Trinity University, which was a mainstay around the top of the conference standings and collected 14 overall baseball championships from 1990-2025.

Trinity, the 2016 NCAA Division III national champion, was the conference’s regular-season and tournament champion last year and was one of a record three SCAC teams that advanced to the 64-team 2025 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

The other two teams to make the bracket via at-large selection were Concordia and McMurry.

Unfortunately for McMurry, Trinity got in the way again, eliminating the War Hawks from the postseason with a 2-0 sweep in the best-of-three San Antonio Super Regional.

That left Trinity among the final eight teams in the Division III Baseball Championship, but it wasn’t meant to be for the Tigers, who were eliminated after losses to eventual 2025 national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater and Rowan.

Concordia was bounced by Endicott in the regional round of the tournament.

Along with Trinity, the other departure from the SCAC was Southwestern University, and both schools have landed in the Southern Athletic Association. Trinity football has been an affiliate member of the SAA for nearly a decade, with Southwestern following the same path in 2023 for football and 2025 for lacrosse.

But, that’s more than enough chatter about who’s gone. How about the teams that are left in the SCAC?

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball For 2026

*In order of finish last season without Trinity and Southwestern listed.

LeTourneau and Hendrix are the new additions to the mix. Colorado University also is a member of the SCAC but does not participate in baseball.

Before 1992, the SCAC was known as the College Athletic Conference. It was established in 1962.

Following the transition, Millsaps College won the 1992 SCAC baseball title as part of a five-peat from 1990-1994.

The 2025 SCAC Baseball Tournament included No. 1 Trinity, No. 2 Concordia, No. 3 McMurry and No. 4 St. Thomas, with Trinity defeating Concordia 2-1 for the championship.

The 2026 SCAC Baseball Tournament will be held from April 30 through May 3 and will feature an expanded six-team format. The tournament previously included just four teams battling through a double-elimination bracket.

The major SCAC awards during the 2025 season were as follows:

2025 SCAC Player of the Year – Michael Smosna, McMurry
2025 SCAC Pitcher of the Year – Otto Franz, Concordia
2025 SCAC Freshman of the Year – Collin Bruning, McMurry
2025 SCAC Coach of the Year – Tim Scannell, Trinity

2025 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Standings

Trinity — Conf. Record: 27–3 | Overall Record: 41–10
Concordia — Conf. Record: 24–6 | Overall Record: 35–13
McMurry — Conf. Record: 22–8 | Overall Record: 35–13
St. Thomas — Conf. Record: 17–13 | Overall Record: 19–20
Texas Lutheran — Conf. Record: 17–13 | Overall Record: 24–15
Centenary — Conf. Record: 12–18 | Overall Record: 16–24
Southwestern — Conf. Record: 11–19 | Overall Record: 13–26
Austin College — Conf. Record: 10–20 | Overall Record: 15–24
Ozarks — Conf. Record: 9–21 | Overall Record: 15–25
Schreiner — Conf. Record: 8–22 | Overall Record: 10–29
Dallas — Conf. Record: 8–22 | Overall Record: 8–27

About The Teams Of The SCAC

Fast facts about each team in the SCAC:

Austin College

More than half of the SCAC teams finished below .500 last season, and Austin College landed in the middle of that pack with an overall record of 15-24 and a conference mark of 10-20.

As the Kangaroos hop into the 2026 season, they’ll do so with a new assistant baseball coach – Drew Lancaster – who actually is returning after working with the team in 2022 and 2023.

Head coach Shawn Counts served the role in an interim capacity in 2022, before earning an upgrade.

Austin College was 8-28 in 2022, 6-31 in 2023, 11-27 in 2024 and 15-24 in 2025, so even if it’s a little bit slower, things are trending upward for the ‘Roos.

In August 2025, a multi-year deal between Austin College and FloSports was announced, making Flo the official streaming home of Kangaroos football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball.

Austin College kicks off its 2026 season Jan. 30 against Southwestern Christian at noon Central and Dallas Christian at 3 p.m. CST.

Centenary

After going 16-24 overall in 2025, Centenary also made some changes to its coaching staff, adding Matthew Lillard as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He is familiar with the SCAC landscape, having played at Millsaps and Hendrix, along with a coaching stop at the University of Dallas, among others.

The Centenary coaching staff is a team of five, led by Mike Diaz, who is entering his 16th year in charge and is on the cusp of 340 wins during his tenure.

During those nearly two decades, Diaz has led Centenary to three SCAC regular-season titles (2015, 2017, 2018) three SCAC Tournament championships (2017, 2022, 2024) and three trips to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

The Gents had a winning season in 2024, posting a 23-20 record. It was their 11th winning season under Diaz, though 2025 brought some struggles and a dip into the losing side of things. The team was 12-18 in conference play and 16-24 overall.

Centenary’s 2026 campaign will begin Feb. 6-7 with a three-game series on the road at Occidental.

Concordia

Concordia is on the verge of breaking into the top 25 of the 2026 D3baseball.com/NCBWA after landing in the “others receiving votes” section of the preseason edition.

Though the team’s season ended earlier than hoped, the Tornados are coming off a memorable 35-13 season, a runner-up finish in the SCAC Baseball Tournament and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, where they were eliminated during regional play.

Last year marked Concordia’s third consecutive season with 25 or more wins since going 14-25 in 2022.

The 2025 campaign also was a year of change for the Tornados, who made their debut in the SCAC and made the most of it with their first appearance in the four-team conference tournament.

Concordia previously played in the American Southwest Conference and made the move to the SCAC alongside the University of the Ozarks and McMurry (all from the ASC) for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dallas

Someone has to finish at the bottom of the conference standings, and last year, that was the University of Dallas.

Unfortunately for the Crusaders, they’ve become a fixture among the bottom two or three teams in the SCAC and haven’t had a winning season since the last year of two-division competition in the SCAC in 2012. However, during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, UD was 8-8 overall.

Last year, the Crusaders were 8-27 overall and 8-22 in conference play, but despite the record, two players did earn All-SCAC honorable mention – senior UT/RHP Caleb Hohman and freshman pitcher Liam Mosely.

Hohman is gone, but Mosely should be back in action in 2026 when the Crusaders kick off their new season on the road with three games against Asbury University in Millington, Tennessee, on Feb. 7-8.

Hendrix College

Hendrix College returns to the SCAC after 12 years away in the Southern Athletic Conference, and the Warriors will jump right in with a 40-game slate and 10 series against conference opponents.

Hendrix previously was a member of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference from 1929-1991 and the SCAC from 1992-2012 and a member. During the modern era of college baseball, the Warriors picked up a SCAC Baseball Tournament title in 2009 and a SAA regular-season co-championship in 2019.

The team’s lone appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship was a quick 0-2 run in the regional round in 2009.

In their final year in the SAA, the Warriors were 19-23 overall and 9-9 in conference games. They made a quick exit from the 2025 SAA Baseball Championship, losing to Berry 2-0 in their best-of-three opening-round series.

Hendrix returns five All-SAA selections from 2025 and will start the new season with a three-game homestand against Westminster College from Feb. 6-8.

LeTourneau University

LeTourneau University has been about loyalty and consistency for nearly 30 years, but the 2026 season marks a big change for the YellowJackets.

LeTourneau enters its first year in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and will play 30 games against its new conference opponents.

This is the first major change for the school since transitioning to the NCAA Division III level and landing in the American Southwest Conference in 1998.

The YellowJackets’ time in the ASC was well-spent – at least over the last decade – when the team made nine appearances in the ASC Tournament, picking up a win in 2014.

LeTourneau also has made a pair of NCAA postseason appearances, going 1-2 in 2003 and 2014.

The new era in YellowJackets baseball opens Feb. 6-7 with a three-game series against reigning SAA champion Millsaps. This marks the fifth straight year LeTourneau has opened the season with the Majors.

LeTourneau is coming off a 23-20 season that included an 11-5 performance in conference play and an epic comeback in the championship round of the 2025 ASC Tournament.

The YellowJackets were down 9-0 to East Texas Baptist going into the eighth inning of the finale and nearly pulled off the win. Despite the effort, though, LeTourneau lost 9-8 after scoring two runs in the eighth inning and six in the top of the ninth.

McMurray

With Trinity finally out of the way, this could be the year for McMurry in the SCAC, or at least an expectation for the War Hawks to battle Concordia for supremacy.

McMurry finished third in the conference last year behind Trinity and Concordia and endured losses to both to end any hope for postseason hardware in 2025.

First, Concordia bounced McMurry from the SCAC Baseball Tournament in an 11-7 extra-inning showdown that sent the Tornados to the title tilt against Trinity.

Trinity, the regular-season champion, also won the tournament, but all three programs found their way into the NCAA Championship.

McMurry was dominant in regional play, downing Pomona-Pitzer (twice) and La Verne to advance to the Super Regional round, where, unfortunately, Trinity was waiting and defeated the War Hawks 2-0 in their best-of-three series.

The War Hawks finished the year 35-13 overall and 22-8 in conference play.

The road to redemption, possibly a little clearer of a path, will begin Feb. 6-7 with a three-game road trip to meet California Lutheran, followed by a game against Redlands on Feb. 8.

Oh, and the War Hawks enter the year – their final season in the SCAC before a move to the ASC – ranked No. 22 in the 2026 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25.

Ozarks

The University of the Ozarks debuted in the SCAC last season, and while it may have been a disappointing year, the Eagles definitely have something to build upon in 2026.

The team opened its first season in its new digs with a pair of wins, and four victories in its first five games, but once conference play got going, things took a turn.

The Eagles finished the year 15-25 overall and 9-21 in SCAC action, which landed them just ahead of Schreiner and Dallas in the conference standings. Those teams were 8-22 in conference games.

Prior to joining the SCAC, the Eagles played in the American Southwest Conference, where they made five appearances in the conference tournament (2007, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2021) but never were able to win.

The last time Ozarks had a winning record was an 11-5 mark during the shortened 2020 season.

However, the things are looking up for the Eagles, who won 10 games in 2023 and 15 games in 2024, before matching that effort in their new conference.

Year 2 in the SCAC will begin with some time to warm up in a handful of nonconference games against Champion Christian (Feb. 7), Hardin Simmons (Feb. 13) and Westminster College (Feb. 14-15). A long slate of conference games begins Feb. 20 against Hendrix.

Schreiner

Since joining the SCAC for the 2014 season, Schreiner has never finished in the top half of the conference baseball standings.

Now, the Mountaineers have one last chance to make some noise, as they’ll be joining McMurry in a move to the American Southwest Conference after this season as part of a 10-year agreement that will keep the ASC alive and thriving long-term.

Last season, Schreiner tied with the University of Dallas for last place in the SCAC, with each team posting an 8-22 mark in conference play. The Mountaineers were bit better overall, going 10-29, while UD was 8-27.

Schreiner’s SCAC swan song will begin on the road Feb. 6 against LaGrange in Montgomery, Alabama.

St. Thomas

St. Thomas is a perennial middle-of-the-road performer in the SCAC, but there may be an opportunity to climb a rung or two with the departure of Trinity and Southwestern.

The Celts will be led by third-year head coach Torry Peterson, who recently promoted Cole Wesneski to assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

The team features a balanced roster, with 20 experienced players (15 returning) and 13 incoming freshmen.

St. Thomas finished the 2025 campaign 19-20 overall, but a strong 17-13 performance in conference games saw the Celts sneak into the four-team conference championship.

The Celts secured the fourth, and final, seed after finishing tied with Texas Lutheran in the conference standings but earning the tiebreaker thanks to a three-game sweep over the Bulldogs in April.

Though St. Thomas' season quickly came to an end against McMurry in the SCAC Tournament, finishing behind Trinity, Concordia and McMurry isn’t a bad place to end up.

Now, with Trinity gone and the SCAC Tournament expanded to six teams, this could be when St. Thomas finally breaks through.

The Celts will begin their 2026 season on the road with the three-game series against Hardin-Simmons on Feb. 6-7.

Texas Lutheran

Since debuting in the SCAC for the 2014 season, Texas Lutheran has been an annual threat for the regular-season and tournament championships.

The Bulldogs reached the top multiple times, sharing the regular-season title with Trinity in 2016 and 2019, while winning it outright in 2023. They also finished in second place multiple times.

TLU hoisted the tournament trophy in 2018 and 2021.

The Bulldogs finished tied for fourth place during the 2025 regular season, but they missed out on the postseason due to their head-to-head losses to St. Thomas, which earned the No. 4 seed for the SCAC Tournament.

Texas Lutheran finished the 2025 season with a 24-15 record overall and 17-13 mark in conference play.

The team starts its 2026 campaign with six straight games at home, beginning play Feb. 6 with a three-game series against Howard Payne (Feb. 6-7).

TLU announced over the summer that after initially opting out of the conference’s multi-year streaming partnership with FloSports, the school has decided to join the rest of the SCAC in the deal. All Texas Lutheran athletic events now will stream live on FloSports and the FloSports app.

When Does The 2026 College Baseball Season Start?

The 2026 college baseball season is slated to begin Feb. 13 with the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, which gets the NCAA action rolling for the Division I teams.

For Division II and Division III, the action is set to begin Jan. 30 for most programs.

When Does The 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Start?

The first/regional round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will be May 14-17, with times and locations TBD.

The NCAA Super Regional action will be held May 22-24, again, with times and locations TBD.

The last eight teams standing in the 2026 Division III Baseball Championship will head to Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, from May 29 through June 4 to battle through a combination of double-elimination and best-of-three competition until a champion emerges.

How To Stream Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Games In 2026

Every SCAC baseball game will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news also will be available on both platforms.

How To Watch More Of The 2026 College Baseball Season On FloCollege

College baseball in 2026 will be streamed on FloCollege and the FloSports app for select Division I preseason tournaments and for much of the Division II and Division III seasons.

2026 D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Top 25

The first Top 25 of the regular season will be posted Feb. 24, 2026.

Team (first-place votes) – 2025 Record, Points (Previous Ranking)

UW–Whitewater (18) – 49-6, 598 points (Previous: 1)
Endicott (3) – 45-6, 577 points (Previous: 2)
Denison – 41-7, 528 points (Previous: 4)
Kean (1) – 41-11, 515 points (Previous: 7)
Salisbury – 34-10, 452 points (Previous: 11)
Lynchburg (1) – 41-9, 439 points (Previous: 10)
Messiah – 39-16, 431 points (Previous: 3)
Rowan – 38-12, 427 points (Previous: 5)
Trinity (Texas) – 41-10, 417 points (Previous: 8)
Salve Regina (1) – 36-9, 414 points (Previous: 9)
Johns Hopkins – 44-5, 395 points (Previous: 6)
Claremont–Mudd–Scripps (1) – 35-15, 387 points (Previous: 12)
Cortland – 31-13, 339 points (Previous: 20)
Case Western Reserve – 30-14-1, 265 points (Previous: 13)
Webster – 37-9, 253 points (Previous: 22)
La Verne – 35-11, 241 points (Previous: 17)
Centre – 32-11, 220 points (Previous: 18)
UW–Oshkosh – 35-16, 161 points (Previous: 15)
Pomona–Pitzer – 32-17, 146 points (Previous: 24)
Adrian – 30-18, 111 points (Previous: RV)
Penn State Harrisburg – 34-13-1, 80 points (Previous: RV)
McMurry – 35-13, 75 points (Previous: 16)
UW–La Crosse – 35-11, 70 points (Previous: 14)
Keystone – 37-11, 61 points (Previous: 23)
East Texas Baptist – 31-16, 58 points (Previous: RV)

Xavier Escobar HR In SCAC Championship | McMurry Baseball

As the SCAC presence on the FloSports platforms continues to grow, keep an eye out for many, many more highlights!

When Is The 2026 MLB Draft?

The MLB Draft begins the Sunday of MLB All-Star Week, which is being held in Philadelphia from July 11-14.

FloBaseball Archived Footage

Video footage from FloBaseball events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers.

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