There's a traffic jam at the top of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Baseball Poll, and Little Rock is bumper-to-bumper with three others, separated by just 15 points for the top spot.
Fresh off an OVC Tournament championship and an NCAA Regional appearance that captured national attention, the Trojans were picked fourth in the poll. Little Rock earned three first-place votes and totaled 122 points, finishing just 15 behind preseason favorite SIUE, which claimed 10 first-place votes and 137 points.
In the era of the transfer portal, however, head coach
Chris Curry says preseason polls are far from a definitive indicator of what lies ahead.
"Now more than ever, I believe the preseason polls are less of an indicator of your team this year and more of an indicator of what you did in the regular season last year," Curry said. "In that light, I can see why some would pick us lower given our challenges in the regular season last year. That being said, we have internal standards for ourselves which will always be much higher than any external expectations. We expect to bring another championship trophy back to Little Rock this year."
With 15 returners from last season's roster and a strong influx of transfers, the Trojans have their sights set on the top of the OVC standings. Little Rock will lean on All-OVC returners
Ryan Geck and
Cooper Chaplain, along with
Jack Cline,
Ty Rhoades,
Cade Martin and
Angel Cano, the Most Valuable Player of the Baton Rouge Regional.
Geck and Chaplain anchored the Trojan offense while earning All-OVC honors in 2025. Geck played in all 61 games, hitting .296 while leading the team with 73 hits, 15 doubles and 52 RBI. He was named the team's MVP. Chaplain appeared in all 61 games as well, posting a team-best .311 batting average. He also led Little Rock in stolen bases and runs scored, while finishing among the team's top three in hits, home runs, RBI and total bases.
Little Rock opens the 2026 season at home with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan from Feb. 13–15.
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2026 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. SIUE (10 first-place votes) - 137 points
2. Southeast Missouri (3) - 136
3. Eastern Illinois (4) - 132
4. Little Rock (3) - 122
5. Tennessee Tech - 98
6. Lindenwood - 86
7. Southern Indiana - 70
8. UT Martin - 54
9. Morehead State - 37
10. Western Illinois - 28
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