CLEVELAND, Ohio– Miami baseball has been selected to finish first in the Mid-American Conference this season according to the Head Coaches Preseason Poll, the conference announced Wednesday. The RedHawks were one of three teams to receive first-place votes, notching six, and also received a conference-leading four votes to win the MAC tournament. Fresh off 2025 MAC regular-season and conference-tournament titles, Head Coach Brian Smiley is entering his third season at the helm of Miami baseball alongside Associate Head Coach Kyle Trewyn and Pitching Coach Larry Scully.
The full 2026 MAC preseason poll is as follows:
2026 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll*
Miami (6) – 114 points
Kent State (4) – 111 points
Ball State (2) – 107 points
Toledo – 86 points
Bowling Green – 83 points
Western Michigan – 65 points
Central Michigan – 54 points
Northern Illinois – 42 points
Eastern Michigan – 41 points
Akron – 40 points
Ohio – 36 points
UMass – 13 points
*First place votes in parentheses
Tournament Champion: Miami – 4; Kent State – 3; Ball State – 2; Toledo – 2; Bowling Green – 1