Defending Champion Pilots Open 2026 Ranked No. 1 in NAIA Coaches’ Poll
SHREVEPORT, La. – The defending national champions are right where they left off.
LSU Shreveport baseball has been ranked No. 1 in the first regular-season edition of the 2026 GoRout NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, collecting 420 points to begin the year atop the national rankings.
The Pilots, who captured the 2025 NAIA National Championship, enter the week with an 18-3 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in Red River Athletic Conference play. Two of LSUS' three losses this season have come against teams currently ranked in the NAIA Top 25.
LSU Shreveport's most recent setback came in midweek action on the road, falling 12-6 to Nelson University, but the Pilots will have a quick opportunity to rebound as they return home to open a conference series against Jarvis Christian University. The series begins with a single game Thursday at 6 p.m. at Pilot Field.
The Pilots have once again shown why they remain one of the most explosive offenses in the NAIA.
LSUS has scored 205 runs this season while posting a .344 team batting average, a .468 on-base percentage, and a .550 slugging percentage, along with 20 home runs through the first 21 games of the season.
Leading the offensive charge is transfer standout Carlos Sanchez, who has quickly become one of the most productive hitters in the country. Sanchez currently leads the NAIA in RBIs (37), hits (35), and total bases (71) while pacing the Pilots with seven doubles, seven triples, a .899 slugging percentage, and 17 stolen bases.
His dominant start to the season earned him his fourth Player of the Week honor this week, further cementing his place as one of the top players in the nation.
On the mound, the Pilots pitching staff has recorded 174 strikeouts with a 7.41 strikeouts-per-nine innings rate early this season. Brock Lucas has been one of the staff's top arms, tallying 35 strikeouts with an 11.67 K/9 while posting a 1.67 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. David Hankins has added 23 strikeouts with a 7.67 K/9, while compiling a 2.00 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP, and Calvin Shepard has been equally effective with a 1.23 ERA on the mound.
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