SE Baseball Ninth in GAC Preseason Poll

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern baseball will open the 2026 season as underdogs after being picked to finish ninth in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll released on Tuesday.
 
The Savage Storm garnered 47 points in the poll, leaving them 11 points behind Oklahoma Baptist in eighth and 12 behind Northwestern Oklahoma State in seventh.
 
SE came in 16 points ahead of Southwestern Oklahoma State, while East Central checks in 11^th and Southern Nazarene rounds out the poll in 12^th.
 
Arkansas Tech was named the preseason favorite with six first-place votes, while Harding was second with five first-place nods.
 
Southern Arkansas checked in third with the remaining first-place vote, while Henderson State, Arkansas-Monticello and Ouachita Baptist rounding out the top six.
 
The Storm are coming off a 22-30 season overall with a 16-17 record in GAC play which earned them an eighth-place finish a season ago and a trip to the postseason where it went 2-1.
 
Alex Showalter is the team's top returning regular starter after starting 42 of 44 games he played in, hitting .284 with four homers and 20 RBI.
 
Carter Olson is the team's top returning hitter with a .375 average, 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 33 games played.
 
The Storm also return a trio of regular starters in Payton Poole, Ryan Kirk, and Gage Dollins.
 
On the hill, SE brings back Daniel Collins and Colton Clawson who were first and second in starts on the team a year ago.
 
Overall, the Storm return seven pitchers who saw action a season ago.
 
Southeastern will be welcoming 28 newcomers to the roster in 2026, including five freshmen and 23 transfers.
 
The Storm open the schedule Jan 30 with the first of three games on the road against Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, Ark., before opening the season at home on Feb 3 with a midweek matchup versus Northeastern State.