It's August in Springdale, Arkansas which means it's just about time to start a new a new school year. In less than one week, returning students and new students will settle in to their new living spaces for the next few months and prepare to build on the momentum from this past year. There were lots of key areas of growth in 2024-2025, so let's look at some of the highlights.
Kicking off this year like they did last year is the Ecclesia Royals Soccer team. In 2024, the team acheived their first winning record in program history, going 10-6-2 with an appearance in the Regional Tournament. Under the leadership of new Head Coach Christian Castro, along with the 14 new signees joining the program this fall, the team looks to continue with that momentum and start off the 2025-2026 athletic year the right way. The Royals will kick off the season at home on August 23rd against Freed-Hardeman University.
As Soccer is nearing the end of their season, it will be Basketball's turn to take the torch and continue the run for Ecclesia Athletics. The Men's Basketball team will start their season on October 23 at College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri. The team is led by Head Coach Cary Shelton, who assumed the position shortly after the season started last year due to the previous coach's resignation. Now Coach Shelton has had the past year to recruit and bring in the players who will bring Ecclesia Basketball back to its winning standard, and the team looks to play aggressive all season. Entering the season as underdogs can be very dangerous for opposing teams, as this year's men will have no pressure and be able to play free and loose.
Coach Shelton is also acting as the Interim Women's Basketball Coach, along with first-year Assistant Coach Anita Jenkins. Last year, the Women's team started off slow but got hot and never looked back, going 10-9 to become the second Ecclesia program to finish the 2024-2025 season with a winning record. The ladies won 6 of their last 8 games to qualify for a Regional matchup against perennial powerhouse Mission University. This year, the Ecclesia Women are looking to continue to build on last year's success and reach new heights, with the National Tournament in March standing as the goal.
In January, it will be time for the spring sports to begin their seasons as well. The Royals Softball program has had good seasons the last few years, but saw a drop in production last season. The winning expectations haven't changed however, as the ladies plan follow their new Head Coach, Jeff Hankins to new heights. Despite some of the close losses last season, the team still showed talent and promise, with two players, Ariana Ortiz and Western Mussett, selected the the All-Regional team. As fall ball inches closer, we are excited to see this new-look softball team and what they can do on the diamond this spring.
Finally, closing out the 2026 spring, we have the Ecclesia Baseball team. The EC Boys have built an expectation of success for years, starting back when the program was founded in 2013. Since then, the team has been to 3 World Series (2017, 2019, 2021) and had very successful seasons. Last year, the Royals finished with the highest regular season winning percentage in program history at .721 (31-12) and won the Central Southwest Conference for the first time in program history. The team was snubbed of a World Series bid by NAIA Oakland City University, who got in despite going 0-2 in their Regional Tournament. This has only strengthened the team's resolve and will to win, however, and under the leadership of Head Coach Griffin Smith, the team has every expectation of playing well into May and finishing the season holding a World Series trophy in Kansas City. The team will also look to build on the individual awards from last season, with 15 All-Conference Players, 4 Gold Glove Winners, 2 All-Regional Players and the Conference Coach of the Year. Baseball has and will continue to lead the charge for Ecclesia Athletics.
We can't wait to get this athletic year started, as there is so much opportunity, wins to achieve and memories to be made. So welcome back students, let's get this ball rolling.
