STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Baseball senior infielder Slade McCloud was named to the NCAA Division I All-Central Region First Team, ABCA/Rawlings announced Tuesday.
McCloud was instrumental in helping the Texans to its best season in the Division I era, with Tarleton State winning the Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles en route to its first Division I NCAA Regional. The Robinson, Texas, native finished second on the team in batting average, hitting .343 to go with 16 doubles, six home runs and 57 RBIs. McCloud also led the Texans in triples (7) and stolen bases (22) in 2026.
McCloud was just one of three players to be selected for the All-Central Region First Team that was not from a Power 4 Conference Institution (Diego Cardenas – ACU, Chris Olivier – Lamar). He was the only second baseman selected for the All-Central Region First Team.
Starting with a two-home run game on Opening Day against Le Moyne, McCloud ended his senior season with 24 multi-hit games. McCloud matched a season-high four hits in six at-bats in the WAC Tournament Championship against Sacramento State, hitting a home run to go with five RBIs to help the Texans to the title. McCloud was named to the 2026 WAC All-Tournament Team for his efforts.
Arriving to Tarleton State in 2024, McCloud was an All-WAC First Team selection in 2025. He led the team with a .358 batting average, recording 78 hits in 218 at-bats. He also notched a .541 slugging percentage and tallied a total of 20 stolen bases.
The program’s WAC Championship gave Tarleton State Athletics its eighth conference tournament title at the Division I level (Baseball – 2024, 2026, Women’s Golf – 2025-26, Women’s Indoor Track & Field – 2026, Tennis – 2026, Men’s Golf – 2026, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – 2026). In addition to sweeping the WAC titles, Tarleton State Baseball collected three wins over Power 4 conference opponents in 2026. The Texans upset No. 2 nationally-ranked Texas on March 17 and swept the season series with Baylor.
The Texans finished with their third most wins in a single-season in their modern era, and their most wins since 1992. Tarleton State also won its third ever NCAA Regional game in its fifth appearance, its first in the D1 era (also 2014 and 1998).
First Team All-Region selections are eligible for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The 2026 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America teams will be announced on Friday, June 12, prior to the start of the NCAA Division I College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
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