Baseball | 11/6/2025 9:00:00 AM
OXFORD, Ohio- The Oakland City Mighty Oaks are picked to win their second consecutive River States Conference baseball title, as the Mighty Oaks finished first in the 2026 RSC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Thursday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's ten head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
Oakland City was a dominant force in the River States Conference in 2025, winning the regular season title with a 20-3 record before racking up 48 runs in three wins to claim the RSC Baseball Tournament title. Oakland City played in the NAIA Opening Round in Waleska, Georgia, dropping narrow losses to southern powerhouses in Loyola and Ave Maria.
Another national tournament team from 2025, IU Southeast, finished second, earning three first place votes. The Grenadiers went 32-18 last season, and won two national tournament games in the Hattiesburg Regional. The remaining first place votes went to Shawnee State, who was at the top of two ballots. Midway rounded out the top four, coming off their appearance in the RSC title game last year.
IU Kokomo rounded out the top half of the conference, with the coaches placing the Cougars fifth. In the bottom half of the poll, the coaches placed Brescia sixth, Rio Grande seventh, WVU Tech eighth, Kentucky Christian ninth, and IU Columbus tenth.
Although some teams play countable games during the fall season, the NAIA baseball schedule begins in earnest on January 22. The first scheduled date of conference play of is scheduled for February 27, with the schedule gearing towards the 2026 River States Conference Baseball Tournament, scheduled for April 30-May 3 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.
2026 RSC PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES' POLL
1. Oakland City (77 points, 5 first place votes)
2. IU Southeast (72 points, 3 first place votes)
3. Shawnee State (65 points, 2 first place votes)
4. Midway (57 points)
5. IU Kokomo (49 points)
6. Brescia (44 points)
7. Rio Grande (34 points)
8. WVU Tech (26 points)
9. Kentucky Christian (16 points)
10. IU Columbus (10 points)