LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock head baseball coach
Chris Curry has been named the 2026 ABCA/ATEC NCAA Division I South Region Coach of the Year, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced Tuesday. The announcement came on the same day, that four different national polls ranked the Trojans in the Top 25.
Curry's honor comes on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in program history as he guided the Trojans to a 39-28 record, a second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship, a second straight NCAA Regional appearance and the program's first-ever NCAA Super Regional berth.
Curry was selected as the South Region recipient after leading Little Rock through a historic postseason run that included winning the Hattiesburg Regional as a No. 4 seed. The Trojans defeated host and regional favorite Southern Miss in the opening round before adding victories over Jacksonville State to capture the regional title and advance to the Super Regional round for the first time in school history.
Under Curry's leadership, Little Rock established a new school record with 39 victories and became just the second No. 4 regional seed in the modern NCAA Tournament format to advance to a Super Regional. The Trojans also earned a final national ranking of No. 22 in the Baseball America Top 25.
"It is a team award and a reflection of the great staff that we have and the great players in our program," Curry said. "As I always say, I never threw a pitch or took a swing. I am thankful to be the head coach at Little Rock and proud of everything our players and staff accomplished this season."
Curry's selection places him among eight NCAA Division I regional recipients who will be considered for the ABCA/ATEC National Coach of the Year award, which will be announced Wednesday, June 24.
Little Rock's historic season was recognized nationally across multiple polls. The Trojans finished No. 18 in the final rankings released by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, No. 21 in the final poll by D1Baseball, No. 22 in the final rankings by Baseball America and No. 25 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. The national recognition further validated one of the most accomplished seasons in program history as the Trojans captured a second consecutive OVC Tournament championship, advanced to their first NCAA Super Regional and established a school-record 39 victories.
The American Baseball Coaches Association, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for amateur baseball coaches and represents more than 15,000 members across all levels of the sport.
The 2026 ABCA/ATEC NCAA Division I Regional Coaches of the Year are:
- Northeast Region – Mike Hampton, St. John's
- East Region – Steve Sabins, West Virginia
- Atlantic Region – Scott Forbes, North Carolina
- Southeast Region – James Ramsey, Georgia Tech
- Midwest Region – Ryan Copeland, Northern Illinois
- South Region – Chris Curry, Little Rock
- Central Region – Skip Johnson, Oklahoma
- West Region – John Savage, UCLA
