By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Assistant AD for Communications
Last weekend’s Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournaments did not go well for Centenary’s baseball and softball teams, but they did collect quite a few postseason awards.
The Ladies finished their season by going 0-2 in the SCAC Championship this past weekend in Abilene, Texas on the campus of McMurry University. Centenary (16-24) was the No. 6 seed and lost 3-2 the No. 3 seed Concordia Tornados in its opener on Saturday and was eliminated with a 3-1 loss to the fifth-seeded Ozarks Eagles on Sunday.
The 2026 All-SCAC Team was announced at the tournament and six Ladies earned recognition: sophomore designated hitter Kaitlynn Alello, senior third baseman Morgan Dawson, senior first baseman Abigail Hodgson, junior centerfielder Noelle Sandmann and two senior utility players, Catherine Stokes and Jaeden Thrasher
BASEBALL: The Diamond Gents finished their season at 21-21 after consecutive losses in the SCAC Championship this past weekend in Cleburne, Texas. Centenary, the No. 6 seed, was edged 4-3 by the No. 3 seed Concordia in the opening game of the tournament and then was eliminated later that evening, 8-3,by the fifth-seeded Hendrix Warriors.
The 2026 All-SCAC Team was announced at the tournament and 10 Diamond Gents earned spots on the team: senior infielder Clay Menard, freshman right-handed pitcher Garritt Romero, sophomore right-hander Treyson Martin, sophomore pitcher Coen Laroux, sophomore centerfielder Blaine Birkelbach, sophomore right fielder Noah Paulson, freshman first baseman Ethan Hopkins, junior shortstop Vance Sartor, junior left fielder Bryce Bienvenu, and sophomore designated hitter Turner Mclelland.
STUNT: Junior Kaitlynne Anderson and freshman KaNeya Hatcher-Davis of Centenary were named to the STUNT National Championship Tournament All-Tournament Team. The selections were nominated by their coaches based on their power rankings from the STUNT National Championship Tournament held April 23-26 at Lipscomb in Nashville. Both Anderson and Hatcher-Davis were honorable mention selections.
ACADEMICS: Centenary Athletics announced 30 members of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society. Chi Alpha Sigma honors collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Members must be of junior status and have a cumulative grade point average of a 3.40 or above. Visit GoCentenary.com for more information.
FOOTBALL: Centenary’s 2026 regular-season schedule begins on Sept. 5 against Westgate Christian University at home in the first of five games played at Atkins Field.
“We are excited about our 2026 football schedule,” said head coach Byron Dawson. “This is a new year with a new team and a new dream. Our players have put in tremendous work this offseason, especially in the weight room, and it’s showing.
“We remain committed to building our culture and staying focused on the daily process of improvement. Our goal is to get better every single day while establishing a standard of excellence, both in the classroom and on the field.”
The Gents are scheduled to play nine regular-season games – five at home and four on the road. Centenary will play its first two games at home as the Maroon and White will face Millsaps College on Sept. 12 before traveling to Marshall, Texas Sept. 19), meeting East Texas Baptist University for its first road contest.
Centenary will meet Schreiner, in its inaugural season as a program, at home on Sept. 26 and then travel on Oct. 3 to face Austin College. The Gents remain on the road on Oct. 10 at Hendrix College and then return home for a rematch with Austin College on Oct. 17 – this one counting as a conference game.
The Gents have a bye week on Oct. 24 and then return to Atkins Field on Oct. 31 for their annual Homecoming game to face Lyon College. Centenary finishes the regular season on the road at Texas Lutheran.
The 2026 SCAC Football Championships will be Nov. 14, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. All six teams will participate. The championship game winner will receive the SCAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship.
Season tickets and single game tickets will go on sale soon and game times will also be announced. All times and dates are subject to change.
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu