RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll for baseball on Tuesday, and in that release, the Arkansas Tech baseball team was picked to finish first at the conclusion of the 2026 regular season.
 
In topping the poll, the Wonder Boys totaled 115 points and received six of the 12 first-place votes. Harding and Southern Arkansas accounted for the remaining six first-place votes with Harding receiving five and SAU, one. Harding would total 110 points to be slotted second while SAU had 102 points for third.
 
Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello were fourth and fifth in the poll. The Reddies totaled 87 points while the Boll Weevils had 87.
 
Ouachita Baptist, Northwestern Oklahoma and Oklahoma Baptist were the next grouping. Ouachita slotted sixth with 69 points while NWOSU and Oklahoma Baptist were separated by one point. The Rangers were seventh with 59 points and the Bison were eighth with 58.
 
Southeastern Oklahoma, Southwestern Oklahoma, East Central and Southern Nazarene rounded out the poll in the bottom third.
 
Last season, the Wonder Boys won the Great American Conference Regular Season Championship outright with a 23-9 conference record and finished the season 32-23 overall. They also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the third-straight season.
 
This year, the Wonder Boys return a trio of all-conference players in Cole Dawson, Daniel Hutchison and Tyler Sardelli. Dawson and Sardelli were first team selections at their respective infield positions while Hutchison landed on the second team as a starting pitcher.
 
In addition to those three, Tech has six position players and eight pitchers returning who saw action last season. Bolstering the corps of returners are 21 newcomers.
 
The Wonder Boys are once more slated to open their regular season at the home of the Houston Astros, Daikin Park, for the annual Houston Winter Invitational. Tech will play three games and face a stout slate of Ashland University, Rollins University and the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
 
The opening game of their 2026 season will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 30 against Ashland. For the full 2026 ATU baseball schedule, check out https://arkansastechsports.com/sports/baseball/schedule