What Expects Us in the Rest of the 2026 Red River Baseball Tournament [1]
There is a stark difference between the 2025 and 2026 RRAC baseball tournaments. Last season we saw all eight participants come together for one weekend in Sterlington, Louisiana. This season, the first round sees the eight teams placed into four best-of-three series. The winners come together for a four-team double elimination tournament at Pilot Field.
[2]Part of what will make this tournament fun is that any team can win it. Overall, there were up to six teams that had a real chance. Unfortunately, this weekend will only showcase four of those teams. LSU-Shreveport head coach Brad Neffendorf has praised the conference on multiple occasions for how it is the best and most competitive it's been in the past five years. This is anyone's tournament to win.
Another tiny aspect of what will make this weekend one to look forward to is that every team has played each other, meaning there will be some kind of familiarity. Whatever two teams make it to the championship will know each other extremely well.
Both LSUS and Texas A&M-Victoria are comfortably in the NAIA tournament. The Jaguars earned the automatic bid when they clinched the RRAC regular season title. For LSUS, they will be hosting a regional in the NAIA tournament on the week of May 11. For Victoria, they are one of the top teams in the country. They are ranked 13th in the country, right behind the 12th ranked Pilots. They blend in with the other top teams with an above .300 team batting average. They also have a solid rotation that can take them a far way. Not to mention, they accomplished something you rarely see, a sweep of the Pilots.
Our Lady of the Lake is receiving votes in the NAIA polls and has a chance to make the NAIA tournament but will likely need to do big things in this RRAC tournament to feel good about things. Texas A&M-Texarkana will need to win the RRAC tournament to make the NAIA tournament. They are competitive and have gone against many of the nation’s top teams. The Eagles have a battle-tested squad that gave LSUS a run for their money. Despite being the sixth seed in the tournament, they are one of the top offensive teams in the RRAC. If the Eagles can improve the pitching, they can shock the world.
OLLU is in a similar boat. Like I said, they could make the NAIA tournament with an at-large bid, but like always, it will remain in question. The Saints are another explosive offense with a solid pitching staff to go with it. Like Texarkana, OLLU made the Pilots sweat. Neither team had a problem competing at Pilot Field over the regular season. The Jaguars will be the one team coming into this second weekend that did not play at Pilot Field over the regular season. Overall, it will be an exciting tournament. Anything can happen.