Springdale, AR: Following the team's 33-9 regular season — including a second straight conference championship, a multitude of program records, and several NCCAA records — your Royals have qualified for the NCCAA World Series for the fourth time in program history.
This World Series appearance marks the fourth in program history, with the first coming in 2017 under then-Head Coach Derrion Hardie. Hardie started the baseball program in 2013 and, after just four seasons, turned the Royals into national title contenders. Playing as one of the top 10 teams in the country, the 2017 Royals went 1-3 at the World Series, closing out the tournament with a 9-3 win over Alice Lloyd College.
Two years later, the Royals returned with a 34-27 regular season record and the No. 9 seed in the World Series. After defeating No. 4 Hiwassee College 7-5 in Game 1, the Royals lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to top-seeded Southwestern Christian University. Later that same day, Toccoa Falls College hit a comeback walk-off three-run home run to end the Royals' run in the winner's bracket with an 8-7 loss.
After the 2020 season was canceled midway through due to COVID-19, the Royals returned once again in 2021. The team finished the regular season 28-20 and entered the World Series as the No. 5 seed, the highest in program history at that point. The 2021 team once again went 1-3, finishing the tournament with another victory over Alice Lloyd College, this time by a score of 11-3.
Following the 2021 season, the Royals baseball program entered a rebuild. The team lost the majority of its upperclassmen along with its head coach and entered 2022 unsure of what to expect. Despite the uncertainty, the Royals continued to compete, finishing the regular season at an even 25-25. However, the season came to an end in the Regional Tournament, falling short of the program's established standard.
With an entirely new staff and roster in 2023, the team endured the challenges of a rebuilding season, winning just 13 games. The following year, the Royals took a major step forward, finishing 21-25 in the regular season and going 1-2 in the regional tournament.
In 2025, during Griffin Smith's first full season as head coach, the Royals returned to the program's winning expectations. The 2025 team finished 31-12 in the regular season, the best record in program history at the time. The Royals earned nine All-Conference selections, six additional honorable mention selections, and five Conference Gold Glove awards. Across the board, it was the most successful regular season the program had ever seen.
However, after the regional tournament concluded, the Royals were not selected for an at-large bid to the World Series. Kansas Christian College received the tournament's automatic bid as the host institution despite finishing the season nine spots behind Ecclesia in the NCCAA Power Ratings.
Then came 2026.
This team entered the season determined to prove it belonged on the national stage — and did far more than that. The Royals set six program records, including most stolen bases (239), most runs scored (404), highest on-base percentage (.474), highest winning percentage (.786), most shutouts in a season (6), and most runs scored in a single game (30).
The Royals also led the country in stolen bases, runs allowed, runs scored, on-base percentage, and winning percentage. Freshman Josh Hinds finished with the best pitching record in the country at 9-1, while Keenan Hunter led the nation with 40 stolen bases. CJ Price and KJ Merriweather followed close behind with 35 stolen bases each. Over the course of the season, Ecclesia outscored opponents 437-171 — an average margin of victory of 10-4.
When the time came for World Series selections, there was no doubt this year. The Royals earned the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament and will open play against No. 6 Southwestern Christian University at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri. The two teams split their regular season matchups earlier this year, with both games decided by a single run, setting up what should be one of the most exciting opening-round matchups of the tournament.
There have been countless hours of work, practices, games, road trips, and sacrifices poured into reaching this moment. Thirty-two players and five coaches have devoted themselves completely to this season, and the culmination of all that work arrives this week in Kansas City.
From Saturday through Wednesday, anything can happen — and the Royals are chasing the opportunity to become the first team in Ecclesia College history, in any sport, to bring home a national championship.
