2025 SXU Cougars Celebrate 2025 CCAC Title SXU Cougars
A new era begins as former SXU head assistant, Pat Morrow, steps up to the plate as interim head coach for the Cougars 2026 baseball campaign as they try to recreate their 2025 playoff run.
Morrow spent the last two seasons as head assistant for the Cougars, but before joining SXU in 2024, Morrow was an assistant coach at Earlham College in Indiana from 2021-2023.
Last season the Cougars combined consistent offense with disciplined pitching to help lead them to a conference championship and a postseason appearance. The SXU Cougars ended their 2025 season with their second CCAC (Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) tournament title in the last three years. Their CCAC title punched their ticket to their sixth appearance in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) opening round.
The run would ultimately end after the Cougars finished 2-2 in the opening round, ending their 2025 campaign, and turning the page to 2026.
The team’s lineup is expected to be one of its biggest strong suits as it mixes both veteran leadership and emerging talent.
The Cougars will open the 2026 season on the road on Friday Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. in Bradenton, Fla. against New College of Florida for a four game series.
The team will then spend the entire month of February playing road games in Missouri and Alton, IL. Their home opener will be on Sunday Mar. 1 at Ferrell Field as part of a double header against Aquinas College (Mich.).
From Mar. 6 to Apr. 11, the team will only face CCAC opponents before taking a break to face Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois on Apr. 15. They resume conference play on Apr. 17 before they finish off the regular season on Apr. 25 against Trinity Christian College at home.
The CCAC Tournament will begin Apr. 29 in Joliet, Illinois and it will run until May 2.
The NAIA Opening Round runs from May 11 to May 14 as the Cougars look to make it past the opening round -this time around with the location still TBA.
Finally, the NAIA National Championship Tournament will begin on May 22 and end May 30 as a new NAIA champion will be crowned in Lewiston, Idaho.
As the Cougars turn the page to 2026, the focus remains on building off last year’s success and competing for another CCAC title. With experienced leadership and new coach Morrow, SXU will look to establish their identity in hopes of a deep playoff run.