Cumberland Baseball Receiving Votes in 2026 NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll

LEBANON, Tenn.--Coming off a championship season that culminated with a Mid-South Conference Tournament title and a trip to the 2025 NAIA National Championship Opening Round, Cumberland Baseball will begin the 2026 campaign receiving votes in the GoRout NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced on Wednesday.

The Phoenix, now under the direction of first-year head coach Allen Balmer, earned their eighth Opening Round appearance since the NAIA adopted its current national tournament format. Cumberland finished the 2025 season with a 39-18-1 record, including a 13-5 mark in conference play, and posted one of the most productive offenses in the country.

Cumberland ranked among the nation's top 25 in runs (477), RBI (430), and walks (278) while hitting .330 as a team and recording a .442 on-base percentage, both ranking inside the top 25 nationally. The Phoenix also ranked eighth in the NAIA with six shutouts and hit 64 home runs across 58 contests.

Balmer takes over a program that ended 2025 by winning four games in the Mid-South Tournament, highlighted by an 11-4 victory over Cumberlands (Ky.) and a 12-6 win in the championship game to capture the league crown. Cumberland then advanced to the Kingsport Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round, defeating Louisiana Christian and Indiana Tech before falling to eventual national power Tennessee Wesleyan.

The NAIA's preseason poll was headlined by LSU Shreveport (La.), which earned all 19 first-place votes following the first undefeated season in college baseball history (59-0). Georgia Gwinnett and Southeastern (Fla.) checked in at No. 2 and No. 3. Hope International (Calif.) and Tennessee Wesleyan round out the top five.

Mid-South rival the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) checked in at No. 6 as the only other Mid-South Conference team in the poll.

The 2026 season officially opens in February, with the first regular-season national rankings scheduled for March 4.

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