Jake Leonard 
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) was picked as the preseason favorite to win the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference baseball title, per a news release Thursday.
Midwest Sports Network reported the Cougars picked up 10 first-place votes and 137 points overall, edging out Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), which received 3 first-place votes and finished at 136 points.
Falling in third is defending champion Eastern Illinois. The Panthers won their fifth regular-season crown (and first since 2009), finishing just ahead of SIUE. However, they would fall in the championship game to Arkansas-Little Rock. The Panthers received four first-place votes in this year’s poll to finish with 132 points.
Other schools among the Heartland Newsfeed/Midwest Sports Network Top 25 among Illinois and Missouri colleges and universities also include Lindenwood University (6th, 86 points).
Members of the media spoke to the head coaches of the SIUE, SEMO, Eastern Illinois, and Lindenwood squads on Thursday morning and are featured below.
