MARSHALL, Texas – In back-to-back years, East Texas Baptist University has finished in the top tier of the NCAA Division III Learfield Directors' Cup Standings, finishing in 80th. With over 400 schools in NCAA Division III and 316 recording points, ETBU finished with 256 points as the top American Southwest Conference program and sixth-best in the West Region.
"ETBU's finish in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup standings is a reflection of the commitment to excellence that defines East Texas Baptist University Athletics. This achievement belongs to our student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, support staff, and fans who work tirelessly to pursue success at the highest level. We are proud of the way our programs represent ETBU with class and demonstrated excellence on the field, in the classroom, and within the community. We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to strive to make ETBU one of the premier Division III athletic programs in the nation," Senior Vice President for Campus Life,
Ryan Erwin said.
Participating four NCAA Division III Tournaments, ETBU won one game/match in three of the tournaments and went to two National Championship Tournaments. Baseball, volleyball, softball, and men's tennis earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament by winning the ASC Tournament. Also, the women's cross country program won an ASC Championship and advanced to the Regional Meet.
Baseball had the longest run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the semi-final round. They opened the NCAA Tournament with three wins at the Marshall, Texas Regional over Concordia Texas (2) and Rhodes College. They traveled to Lynchburg, Va., and won the Super Regional over No. 2 the University of Lynchburg in three games to earn a trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Ohio. As the No. 8 seed, they knocked off and broke the 44-game win streak of No. 1 Denison University, and they defeated Baldwin Wallace, advancing to the bracket championship. They then fell twice to No. 1 Denison, which went on to win the National Championship, coming up one game shy of playing for it and ending the season with 40 wins.
Volleyball was the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament and won the program's first-ever Regional Tournament in Boston. They defeated Maine Maritime, #18 Emory, and host #14 Tufts for the championship, advancing to the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. They finished the season in the Elite 8, falling to Berry College, and collected a program-best 34 wins.
Softball went to its 19th NCAA Tournament and hosted the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament. It was the seventh year in a row to host the Marshall, Texas, Regional Tournament. They opened with a win over Denison University and then advanced to the championship game with a win over Rowan University. In the championship, ETBU fell twice to Rowan, finishing with 39 wins on the year.
Men's tennis went to their second straight NCAA Division III Tournament in California and took on the #3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. ETBU fell to the Staggs, who went on to finish as National Runners-Up, and finished with 13 wins on the year.
Last year, ETBU had 289 points for a 70th-place finish, their best finish in program history. They continue to be one of the top NCAA Division III programs in Texas and in the West Region. They have moved into the Top Tier of the Learfield Cup in the past five years, going from 175th to the top 80.
Following ETBU in the Learfield Directors' Cup in the ASC are Mary Hardin-Baylor in 106th (195 points) and Hardin-Simmons University (169 points) in 120th.
