This is the 4th year of existence for the Sooner State Baseball Report, and every season only 2 teams from Oklahoma qualified for the GAC Championship…until this year. Thanks to a great late season run by East Central and a last weekend sweep by NWOSU, the Tigers and Rangers will join Southeastern OK State in the GAC Championship in 2026.

This year’s championship will have a different format as 8 teams will converge in Hot Springs, AR and play a bracket until 2 teams are left which will play a best of 3 series the following weekend at the top remaining seed’s field. Seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8 (Arkansas-Monticello, Southeastern OK State, Southern Arkansas, and East Central) will play in one half while seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7 (Arkansas Tech, Harding, NWOSU, and Ouachita Baptist) will play in the other.

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Team Capsules

*For this, we will only look at the 3 Oklahoma schools

Southeastern OK State Savage Storm

Record: 28-19 (19-14, 4th in GAC)

The Savage Storm was the team that exceeded preseason expectations the most in 2026 as they finished 4th in the conference after a preseason pick of 9th by the coaches.

The Storm went 7-4 in their series while going 5-1 against the teams from Arkansas (their only series loss to an Arkansas school was Harding). They did not get swept in any GAC series this season while they swept SNU as their only GAC sweep.

They should have a lot of confidence going into this weekend as they have winning records against all three teams as they were their last 3 series of the season.

Record vs the other teams in their bracket:

• Arkansas-Monticello: 2-1
• Southern Arkansas: 2-1
• East Central: 2-1 in GAC play; 2-0 in non GAC play

Northwestern OK State Rangers

Record: 26-24 (17-16, 6th in GAC)

The Rangers also exceeded expectations in 2026 as they finished 6th in conference after a 7th place preseason pick by the coaches.

NWOSU had an opposite type of conference season that SE. They won only 1 series against an Arkansas squad (Henderson State) while dominating the Oklahoma teams going 13-2 against fellow Sooner State squads.

The Rangers were on the outside looking in going into the last weekend, but they swept rival SWOSU to move all the way up to 6th in the conference.

Record vs other teams in their bracket:

• Arkansas Tech: 0-3
• Harding: 0-3
• Ouachita Baptist: 1-2

East Central Tigers

Record: 20-25 (16-17, 8th in the GAC)

While they may not have exceeded the expectations more mathematically than SE, the Tigers probably was the team that exceeded expectations the most in the GAC this season.

Picked 11th in the preseason poll, ECU was able to clinch a GAC Championship spot in the last weekend of the season. The Tigers won 16 GAC games this season after winning a total of 18 the 3 previous seasons combined.

ECU used a 9 game winning streak in GAC play in the middle of the season to put themselves in position for a postseason spot.

Record vs other teams in their bracket:

• Arkansas-Monticello: 0-3
• Southeastern OK State: 1-2 in GAC play; 0-2 in non GAC play
• Southern Arkansas: 3-0

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Bracket

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Scoreboard

Thursday, April 30

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