2026 GPAC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
SEWARD, Neb. – Winner of five GPAC regular season titles during the tenure of Head Coach Ryan Dupic, Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball begins the 2026 campaign as the league favorite. The Bulldogs landed atop the 2026 GPAC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Monday (Jan. 26) by the league office. Concordia scooped up eight of 10 first-place votes and totaled 98 points in the poll. Morningside and Doane received one first-place nod apiece.
The NAIA preseason national coaches’ poll was unveiled back in November and tagged the Bulldogs with a No. 16 ranking. It marks the sixth straight season that Dupic’s program has appeared inside the top 25. The 2026 edition of Concordia Baseball will feature a pitching staff headlined by two NAIA Preseason All-Americans: starter Alex Johnson and closer Daiten Schmidt. From a position player perspective, the Bulldogs will look much different than the team that ended 2025 at the national tournament. Returning First Team All-GPAC standout Jaeden Jordahl anchors the lineup.
Entering this season, Concordia is one of six NAIA baseball programs to have won at least 40 games in each of the past five seasons. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have won a combined six GPAC championships (three regular season and three postseason). At 25-3 in conference regular season play last season, Concordia claimed the GPAC crown by a full six games and wound up at 41-13 overall. For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs earned the right to host an opening round of the national tournament.
First pitch of the 2026 season is scheduled to take place on Feb. 7 with two games that day in Oklahoma City, Okla. For a detailed season preview, click HERE.
2026 GPAC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Concordia – 98 (8)
2. Morningside – 87 (1)
3. Doane – 85 (1)
4. Briar Cliff – 75
5. Mount Marty – 60
6. Midland – 55
7. Northwestern – 51
8. Dakota Wesleyan – 34
9. Hastings – 23
10. Waldorf – 20
11. Dordt – 17