Taylor Slotted Ninth in NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll

NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off a record-breaking season and a game shy of the NAIA World Series, Taylor will begin the upcoming 2026 campaign ranked ninth in the GoRout NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll, which is tied for the program's highest preseason ranking ever.

TU closed its historic 2025 season ranked ninth in the final Top 25 poll released in June after earning the program's fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA national tournament and securing a No. 1 seed in the Opening Round for the first time ever. TU also swept the Crossroads League tournament and regular season titles for the second straight year.

Last spring, the Trojans recorded the program's best 25-game start (21-4) and 30-game start (25-5) in program history, secured its best regular season record (41-8) ever, its highest win total ever (47) and its highest in-season ranking (No. 9) ever.

The group of returners includes five first-team all-leaguers from last season, including first baseman Sam Gladd, outfielders Brayden Manning and Luke Sutter, and pitchers Brody Fine and Jake Boyer, along with all-league gold-glove winner Ben Kennedy at shortstop.

The ninth-ranked Trojans will open the 2026 season at the Coach Calderone Classic, hosted by No. 15 Arizona Christian on January 22-24 in Glendale, Arizona.