NEW ORLEANS – The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) announces the 2026 Preseason All-HBCUAC Baseball First and Second Teams and rankings as voted on by the head baseball coaches on Thursday.
Nominations were done by the coaches and points were derived by the order they ranked each athlete and team. Talladega College catcher Armando Jackson earned Preseason Player of the Year with 88 points after helping the Tornadoes win the regular season title and repeat as postseason champions. He was the top slugging catcher in the conference, hitting .373 with 10 home runs and 56 RBI. Jackson had a slugging percentage of .667, which ranked sixth in the conference. He tied for second in home runs and ranked third in RBI.
Diego Duque from Talladega College earned Pitcher of the Year with 60 points. He went 4-4 with a 6.18 earned run average in 13 appearances. One of his wins was in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. He struck out 34 batters in 43 ⅔ innings. The rest of the First team and Second team is below.
First Team
C Armando Jackson, Talladega
1B Ivan Del Villar, Wiley: A three-time All-HBCUAC selection, tied for second in the conference with 10 home runs, ranked in the top 10 in slugging percentage and RBI
2B Victor Rivera, Talladega: Second Team All-HBCUAC and All-Tournament Selection, led the HBCUAC with 48 stolen bases
SS Kyrent Cole, Rust: First Team All-HBCUAC selection, hit .406 with 50 RBIs, ranked fifth in the conference in batting average and hits
3B Jonathan Williams, Talladega: Hit .324 with 36 runs and 37 stolen bases
OF Eddie Garza, Wiley: First Team All-HBCUAC, Hit .339 in the leadoff position, scored 35 runs and drove in 18
OF Braylon Guerin, SUNO: Transferred from Dillard, Second Team All-HBCUAC selection, ranked second with a .419 batting average
OF Miles Bowens, SUNO: Earned All-Tournament, ranked fifth in the conference with nine home runs and 51 RBI
DH Christopher Diaz-Alcantra, Wilberforce: 2025 HBCUAC Freshman of the Year, ranked fourth in the HBCUAC with a .411 batting average, ranked ninth with 45 RBI
P Diego Duque, Talladega
P Christopher Nunez, SUNO: Earned All-Tournament, threw the first postseason no-hitter in conference history, Went 2-0 in eight appearances
Second Team
1B Noah Alvarez, Huston-Tillotson
SS Jederik Velazquez, Talladega
DH Diego Duque, Talladega
The coaches also voted on the preseason rankings. The defending regular season champion and two-time postseason champion Talladega College topped the ranking with 141 points and nine of the 12 first-place votes. Regular season runner-up Wiley University followed with 120 points and a first-place vote. It was followed by HBCUAC Championship runner-up Southern University at New Orleans (112 and a first-place vote) and Stillman College (106 and a first-place vote). Huston-Tillotson University which joined the conference in July finished fifth after dealing with the powerhouses of the Red River Athletic Conference. The full rankings are below.
- Talladega College 141 (9)
- Wiley University 120 (1)
- SUNO 112 (1)
- Stillman College 106 (1)
- Huston-Tillotson 90
- Dillard 83
- Voorhees 70
- Rust College 61
- Wilberforce 60
- Tougaloo College 45
- Philander Smith 31
- Oakwood 17
Fans can catch the 2026 action on the Urban Edge Network which can be viewed online or downloaded to mobile applications. The season will culminate with the HBCUAC Hope Credit Union 2026 Baseball Championship from April 25 to April 29 at River Run Park in Northport, Alabama.
About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.
Source: HBCUAC Communications Department