Talladega, Huston-Tillotson advance to NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round

NEW ORLEANS - The 2026 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship finalists Talladega College and Huston-Tillotson University are set to continue their 2026 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Baseball National Championship Opening Round on Monday through Thursday.

The Tornadoes won their third straight Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Baseball Championship and second straight regular season title. They earned the No. 5 seed in the Lawrenceville Regional and will face No. 4 seed University of Northwestern Ohio at 10 a.m. on Monday. The winner will play the host Georgia Gwinnett College at 6 p.m.

After waltzing to the HBCUAC East Division Title, Talladega stormed through the competition in the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Baseball Championship. After narrowly winning its opening game against Dillard 8-7, it won by at least eight in its next three games, including two run-rule victories. 

Despite losing significant pieces to its previous championship teams, two-time HBCUAC Coach of the Year Marcos Dominguez led the Tornadoes to a 32-17 record. Catcher Armando Jackson and outfielder Eli Payne earned First Team All-HBCUAC. Shortstop Victor Rivera and designated hitter Diego Duque landed on the second team. Pitcher Dewinel Vasquez Oquendo earned 2026 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship Most Valuable Player after earning a win and a save.

The Rams, after battling the powerhouses of the Red River Athletic Conference, soared to the top of the HBCUAC West Division. It won five of seven HBCUAC series. They earned the No. 5 seed in the Shreveport Regional and will open with No. 4 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University at 11 a.m. The winner will get the defending NAIA World Series champion LSU-Shreveport at 6 p.m.

Huston-Tillotson won three games in the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Baseball Championship. It opened with dominating victories over Voorhees University and Stillman College. The Rams bounced back from a run-rule loss against Talladega with a 4-3 victory over Wilberforce University.

Chase Almendarez led the Rams to 33 wins. Huston-Tillotson was well represented on the All-HBCUAC teams starting with the 2026 HBCUAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year Weston Bailey. Nearly its entire starting infield earned second team with catcher Payton Johnson, first baseman Noah Alvarez, second baseman Josh Wilk and third baseman Trey Garza.

The regional winners will advance to the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho. 

LAWRENCEVILLE REGIONAL

SHREVEPORT REGIONAL

About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.