MIAA coaches tabbed Northwest Missouri State at No. 9 in the league's preseason rankings on Friday morning.
The Bearcats, fresh off a 27-25 mark in 2025 and the program's first appearance in the MIAA Championship, will see plenty of new faces around the diamond in their second year under head coach Tony Jandron.
All five of Northwest's starting infielders, along with center fielder and MIAA Gold-Glove selection Ashton Neuman, graduated.
Returning outfielders Chester Brooks and Sam Wornson will be key pieces moving forward. Brooks batted .306 with five home runs and 23 RBIs a season ago. Wornson earned a spot in the lineup as last spring carried on with a .371 average and slugged .603 over the final 21 games of the season.
Ben Haug, Brock Steggall and Logan Brasel are among the top returning pitchers for Northwest.
The season begins January 30 in Weatherford, OK against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
2026 MIAA BASEBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Central Missouri [12] – 144 points
2. Pittsburg State – 125 points
3. Central Oklahoma – 115 points
4. Missouri Southern [1] – 97 points
5. Washburn – 93 points
6. Fort Hays State – 92 points
7. Rogers State – 82 points
8. Emporia State – 72 points
9. Northwest Missouri – 67 points
10. Missouri Western – 50 points
11. Northeastern State – 32 points
12. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 25 points
13. Newman – 20 points
[#] - First Place Votes
