Wolf Pack set to begin 2026 season ranked No. 7 in NAIA

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team got a nod of respect by the NAIA's coaches, as the Wolf Pack will begin the season ranked No. 7 in Wednesday's Preseason Top 25 Poll. Loyola was picked second in last week's SSAC Preseason Poll, finishing behind William Carey slightly, but the Pack was tabbed four spots ahead of the Crusaders in the national rankings. 
 

Faulkner and Abraham Baldwin are just outside the Top 25 in the receiving votes category. 
 

Loyola graduated most of its offensive production, but the pitching staff returns mostly intact. Thomas Hakimian, Brady Bowen, Prescott Marsh and Cole Bordes combined to start 39 of Loyola's 60 games last season, and all four are set to return to the bump for Loyola. Jake Cohen also had seven starts before missing the rest of the season due to an injury, and he's back for one more collegiate season. Caden Durand and Frank Fernandez anchor the bullpen after tallying seven and six saves, respectively. Carter Holstein, Grant Goodbee, Ryder Loup and Hunter Ponson all have experience as well. 
 

Offensively and in the field, Loyola returns SSAC Gold Glove catcher Drew Lee and third baseman Jaxon Buratt. Ben Harris and Myles Liggans became starters at shortstop and centerfield later in the season, and Ayden Authement and Jed Cambre both saw meaningful playing time. Jordan McKenzie was the starting first baseman before going down with a season-ending injury during Loyola's first game, but his one at-bat was a home run. 
 

In total, Loyola has 20 returners and 18 newcomers. 
 

The Loyola baseball team is coming off a historic 2025 campaign, winning a school-record 42 games, claiming the program's first-ever SSAC Championship title, and earning the program's first trip to the NAIA World Series. 
 

The 2026 season begins Friday, Jan. 30, against No. 14 Reinhardt (Ga.), as the two teams will play a four-game series at Segnette Field that weekend. There are 21 games on the schedule against teams in the Top 25 or receiving votes. 
 

Subscribe to Pack Tracks, a Loyola Athletics Newsletter, for all of the latest information >> https://loyolawolfpack.com/subscribe.aspx. You can also keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.