CANTON, Ga. - The Trinity Tigers have been selected to capture their first SAA Baseball crown.
The Tigers captured majority vote with seven first place votes totaling in at 56 points. Centre captured one first place vote to come in at second with 50 points, and Rhodes and Berry battled for third but Rhodes came out on top at 38 total points.
Voting was conducted among the SAA’s eight head coaches.
2026 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
1. Trinity - 56 (7)
2. Centre - 50 (1)
3. Rhodes - 38
4. Berry - 37
5. Millsaps - 34
6. Oglethorpe - 24
7. Southwestern - 22
8. Sewanee - 19
After a run in the DIII College World Series last season, Trinity looks to continue their success in the SAA. Although the team graduates All-American, Maddox McDonald, they still return the Region X Rookie of the Year, Will Taylor along with two other All-Region selections: Brandon Morio and Brandon Nelson.
The Colonels hold a preseason All-American in Ben Prather after he took home a pair of All-America honors to cap his 2025 season. Centre earned an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament that ended against No. 18 Case Western Reserve.
Rhodes won the 2025 crown after a rainy weekend in Jackson, Mississippi, and is under new leadership this season as Rob Schrier takes over. The Lynx season ended in St. Louis after falling in the NCAA Regional to Belhaven and Milwaukee School of Engineering. The team returns second team All-Conference selection, Ben Daniel, along with two SAA Honorable Mentions players.
The 2026 SAA Baseball Championship is slated for May 7 - 10 in Rome, Georgia at Advent Health Stadium.
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
www.saa-sports.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.