WINGATE, N.C. – Rogers State Baseball Head Coach Chris Klimas has been named the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Central Region Coach of the Year. He becomes the first coach in program history to notch this prestigious honor.
 
"What an incredible honor for Chris and his staff," said Dr. Chris Ratcliff, vice president for intercollegiate athletics at RSU, after Klimas was recognized as the NCBWA Central Region Coach of the Year. "The Central Region is undeniably one of the toughest in the nation. To earn an honor this significant is a true testament to the hard work and dedication that this team has shown this season."
 
Klimas has led the Hillcats to their best season in the NCAA Division II era during the 2026 campaign, finishing second in the MIAA regular season standings and securing the No. 2 seed in both the MIAA Tournament and the NCAA Division II Central Regional, currently hosted at the RCB Bank Sports Complex.
 
Rogers State opened the regional with a thrilling 4-3 win in 10 innings over Missouri Southern, earning the program's first home tournament victory. The Hillcats will face MSSU again this afternoon at 2 p.m. for a chance to rematch No. 15 Central Missouri tonight at 5 p.m.
 
The Hillcats concluded the regular season with a 38-12 overall record and a 26-10 mark in conference play. Historic highlights from the season include a program-tying 19-game winning streak and a program-best national ranking of fifth. RSU also achieved 13 run-rule victories and key MIAA series wins over Central Missouri (ranked fourth in the nation at the time), Emporia State, Missouri Southern and Northwest Missouri State.
 
Klimas is in his 12th season as head coach of the RSU baseball team, holding an impressive record of 313-249. He became the program's all-time winningest coach with his 282nd career victory against Missouri Southern and celebrated his 300th win in the series opener against Emporia State. Notably, the Hillcats won the Heartland Conference Tournament in 2019, their final season in the conference.

The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native was also tabbed the 2026 Steve Anson MIAA Coach of the Year.
 
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