JACKSON, Miss. - For the second straight season, Belhaven Baseball is headed to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Blazers earned an at-large bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III Regionals and will travel to Marshall, Texas, for the East Texas Baptist Regional beginning later this week. Belhaven opens tournament play on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CST against Rhodes.

Belhaven enters the postseason at 31-13 after making another deep run through the CCS Tournament, advancing to the conference championship series in back-to-back years. The Blazers spent much of the season nationally ranked and climbed as high as No. 4 in the D3baseball.com Top 25 earlier this spring, the highest ranking in program history.

The Blazers are 0-2 against Rhodes this season after dropping a pair of matchups to the Lynx, including a top-25 meeting in Memphis a few weeks ago. Despite those results, Belhaven will look to carry postseason momentum into Friday's rematch.

Belhaven also heads into the regional with confidence against host East Texas Baptist. Earlier this season, the Blazers swept then-No. 25 ETBU in a three-game series in Jackson, outscoring the Tigers 24-8 across the weekend.

Throughout the season, Belhaven built one of the most balanced teams in the region, combining timely offense with strong pitching depth. The Blazers featured multiple All-CCS selections, including First Team honorees Parker Ryan, Austin Canale, Gunner Staten, and John Wade.

Wade has anchored the bullpen throughout the year and finished among the national leaders in saves, while Staten emerged as one of the top starters in the CCS during his sophomore campaign.

Offensively, Belhaven has leaned on production throughout the lineup. Owen Abney earned his second career All-CCS selection after another strong season at the plate, while players like Hayden Roberts, Trey Smith, and Canale delivered key performances during the team's postseason run.

The winner of Friday's matchup between Belhaven and Rhodes will advance in the winner's bracket Saturday at 2:30 PM, while the losers will meet in the first elimination bracket game earlier that day at 11:00 AM.

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