• OVC Baseball Report – May 26 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
NCAA Hattiesburg Regional
Pete Taylor Park - Hattiesburg, Miss.
Friday, May 29
Game 1: #1 Southern Miss vs.
#4 Little Rock, 1:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2: #2 Virginia vs. #3 Jacksonville State, 6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3:00 p.m. CT (ESPN Networks)
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPN Networks)
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3:00 p.m. CT (ESPN Networks)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPN Networks)
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), TBD
Notes From Around the League
Highlights From Around the League: Little Rock repeated as OVC Tournament Champions, going 6-1 at the event (including winning five in a row) to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament ... The Trojans entered the event as the No. 4 seed and are 11-1 in the OVC Tournament the past two seasons ... The seven total games played tied the OVC Tournament record by one team ... Of the 13 games at the 2026 OVC Tournament, six were decided by 1 run, two others by 2 runs, while only one game was decided by 5 (or more) runs ... The event was held at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois; it marked the fifth time the event has been at the venue (fourth in a row) and it is scheduled to be there through 2029 ... Little Rock has 36 overall wins on the season, the most in program history; head coach Chris Curry passed the 300-career wins plateau during the Tournament ... SIUE won its first OVC regular season title, finishing the team 19-7 after being picked the preseason favorites ... The Cougars finished with 33 overall wins, which is a Division I record for the program, and have hit a program record 104 home runs this year ... Overall six OVC teams reached 30 wins for only the second time in League history (2016) ... Southeast Missouri tied its program record with 39 wins; the Redhawks were as high as 38 in the RPI late in the season before finishing 47 ... Overall the OVC has a Conference RPI of 12 ... OVC teams were 25-8 in non-conference games over the final four weeks of the regular season ... UT Martin finished the year with 26 overall wins, which is the most of its Division I era ... UT Martin's TJ Grines set the OVC single-season stolen bases record on May 8, swiping his 58th base and erasing a record that had stood since 2003; he ranks first nationally (66) in stolen bases (20 ahead of second place) ... Grines is the first NCAA Division I baseball player to have at least 50 stolen bases and 50 RBI’s in a single season since Coastal Carolina’s Rico Noel (56 stolen bases, 63 RBI’s) in 2010 ... Grines also had 93 hits (fourth nationally), 75 runs (eighth nationally) and batted .386 (27th nationally) ... SIUE's Ryan Niedzwiedz had 27 home runs which was tied for second in OVC single-season history (and sixth nationally).
Little Rock Wins 2026 OVC Tournament Championship: Little Rock repeated as OVC Tournament Champions, going 6-1 at the event to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The No. 4 seed, the Trojans won their first game, lost their second game, and then won five in a row to close out the event, beating Eastern Illinois twice in the Championship Round.
Little Rock in the NCAA Tournament: This marks the third NCAA Tournament appearance for Little Rock, who was 0-2 in the 2011 Tournament. A year ago, the team lost to LSU in its first game, before topping Rhode Island, Dallas Baptist and avenging its loss to No. 1 ranked LSU, before falling to the Tigers in the Regional Final (10-6).
SIUE Wins 2026 OVC Regular Season Championship: SIUE finished the season with a 19-7 OVC record to win its first OVC regular season championship. The Cougars, who were picked first in this year's preseason poll, played its first OVC season in 2012 and its previous best finish was second a year ago. The 19 OVC wins were tied for the most in program history (with the 2015 team). Overall the Cougars havd 33 wins, the most of its Division I era.
2026 OVC Baseball Championship: For the fourth year in a row the OVC Baseball Championship was held at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois (May 19-23). The event was also held at the venue (which was previously known as Rent One Park) in 2019. It was announced in May 2025 that the event will be held at the venue through 2029. This year the bracket was slightly adjusted with the first two games (now played on Tuesday) being single-elimination (previously the first four games of the event were single-elimination and played on Wednesday). The winners of Tuesday's games will advance to the double elimination portion of the bracket. The Championship will now have 12 games (with the if necessary game being a 13th). The venue, home to the Thrillville Thrillbillies of the Prospect League (the team completed its first season in 2023), opened in 2007 and has a Sportexe Turf synthetic surface and features 3,400 chairback seats and lawn seating for over 2,000. It also has a new high-definition LED video board, 14 suites, a banquet facility, an entertainment plaza and kids’ play area. The stadium is located directly off Interstate 57. This year marks the 47th OVC Baseball Championship. The first elimination style OVC Baseball Tournament was held in 1980, most usually being played at the site of the regular season championship. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral site for the first time.
Seeding Success: Since the OVC Tournament switched to a neutral site format in 2001 (25 tournaments), the No. 1 seed has won eight championships, the No. 2 seed has seven titles, the No. 3 seed has won four times, the No. 4 seed has won three times (including Little Rock in 2026), the No. 5 seed has won twice and the No. 8 seed has won once (Little Rock a year ago).
Grines Sets OVC Single-Season Steals Record: UT Martin senior OF
TJ Grines leads all NCAA players (all divisions) with 66 stolen bases, which is 20 more than any other Division I player. On May 8 he stole is 58th base of the season, establishing a new OVC single-season record (breaking the old mark of 57 set by EKU's Josh Anderson in 2003). Grines already smashed the UTM single-season Division I record (37). Grines had six stolen bases against Western Illinois on May 3, setting the OVC and UTM single game records in that category.
Six Reach 30 Wins: Six OVC baseball teams (Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood Little Rock, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and SIUE) reached the 30-win plateau this season. It marked only the second time in league history (2016 being the other) that six teams reached that plateau during the year.
Recent Baseball Success: Highest NET Ranking in 25 Years/Wins Over No. 1 Ranked Teams: Last season the OVC ranked 15th in the final NCAA RPI, its highest finish in the rankings in the past 25 years. This year will likely be even higher with the league's ranking being No. 12 entering the week. OVC teams also have four victories over the No. 1 ranked team since 2019, including Austin Peay over Vanderbilt (2-27-19), Morehead State over Louisville (3-2-21), Tennessee Tech over Tennessee (4-12-22) and Little Rock over LSU (6-1-25).
Ranked Wins: Here is a look at OVC teams with wins over nationally-ranked teams this season. From 2018 to the present OVC teams have 31 wins over nationally-ranked non-conference opponents.
February 17 - Morehead State 8, #18 Kentucky 6
Thompson-Allen Named NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week (March 24): SIUE outfielder
Terrick Thompson-Allen was named the National Co-Hitter of the Week by the NCBWA on March 24. He hit .650 (13-20) for the week with four home runs and 11 RBI. He ended the week with an on-base percentage of .682 and a slugging percentage at 1.450 and hit for the cycle in the final game of the week.
Two on Buster Posey Award Watch List: Tennessee Tech's
Manny Garza and Little Rock's
Cade Martin were named to the mid-year Buster Posey Award Watch List. The award is given to the top collegiate catcher. The award is sponsored by the Greater Wichita Sports Commission.
Two Named to Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List: Two OVC baseball players were on the Midseason Watch List for the 21st Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball. The selections were Southeast Missouri senior
Jackson Kranawetter and SIUE redshirt sophomore
Easton Harris.
Riggs Named Semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year Award: Eastern Illinois'
Bryce Riggs was named a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award by the College Baseball Foundation. A total of 43 pitchers were selected as a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year award.
Two on Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Semifinalist List: Southeast Missouri's
Andrew Ramirez and SIUE's
Chase Bloomer are two of 50 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, honoring the best shortstop in college baseball. The award is presented by the College Baseball Foundation.
SIUE Picked as 2026 OVC Preseason Favorite: SIUE was picked as the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference preseason baseball favorite in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and communications directors. The Cougars picked up 10 first-place votes and 137 points in being picked first, one point ahead of Southeast Missouri, who received three first-place votes and 136 points. Eastern Illinois got four first-place votes and 132 points in being tabbed third while Little Rock picked up the other three first-place votes and 122 points in coming in fourth. The poll was rounded out by Tennessee Tech (98), Lindenwood (86), Southern Indiana (70), UT Martin (54), Morehead State (37) and Western Illinois (28).
OVC Professional Success: Former OVC baseball players have found professional success at the Major League level. To begin the 2026 MLB season, three former OVC players were on Opening Day rosters (
Will Klein, Joey Lucchesi and
Tyler Rogers) while four others were on 40-man rosters (including
Trey Sweeney who started on the DL). At the end of the 2025 season, former Eastern Illinois pitcher
Will Klein captured a World Series Championship as a member of the active playoff roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who topped the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings in a thrilling Game 7. Klein appeared in both Game 1 and Game 3 of the World Series, including picking up the win in Game 3 when he pitched 4.0 innings of scoreless relief as L.A. won 6-5 in 18 innings. He allowed one hit and struck out five in that appearance. Klein pitched 1.0 innings in Game 1, allowing one hit. Klein is the first former OVC player to be on an active roster of a World Series Champion since 2020, when Belmont's
Matt Beaty won a title also with the Dodgers. Former UT Martin pitcher
Alec Mills tossed the 16th no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history (and 305th in MLB history) against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 13, 2020. In 2021 Eastern Illinois SS
Trey Sweeney was selected in the First Round by the New York Yankees (No. 20 overall), becoming just the third First Round pick in OVC history; Sweeney is now with the Detroit Tigers and made his MLB debut in 2024. Also in 2021, former SEMO pitcher
Dylan Dodd was selected in the Third Round by the Atlanta Braves, marking the first time in OVC history two players were selected in the Top 3 rounds of the same draft.
All Teams Eligible for Postseason Play: Lindenwood and Southern Indiana have completed their reclassification to Division I and are now eligible to earn to compete in NCAA sanctioned postseason play.
The 2026 Season: The 2026 season marks the 78th year of competition in the OVC. Over the previous 77 years, 14 different teams have claimed an OVC baseball regular season championship.
ESPN+/ESPN Unlimited: The OVC signed a new multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN ahead of the season that continues the long-standing partnership to air games on the Family of Networks. This season over 200 men’s and women’s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $11.99 a month (or $119.99 per year). For the first time ever, ESPN now offers its full suite of 12 networks and services directly to fans within an enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen experience, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these new features and functionality are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a special offer at launch for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months.