Wildcats Earn Postseason Victory, Close Season at Inaugural NAIA Invitational

BRADENTON, Fla. - Competing at the inaugural NAIA Women's Flag Football Invitational, the Baker women's flag football team picked up a postseason victory and battled eventual national champion Warner before closing the 2026 campaign on Friday.

Making their third straight postseason appearance, the fifth-seeded Wildcats opened the eight-team double-elimination tournament with a 43-13 victory over No. 4 Hope International on Thursday morning before falling 33-19 to top-seeded Warner later in the day. BU's season came to a close Friday with a 53-35 loss to sixth-seeded Kansas Wesleyan.

The event marked the first year the NAIA transitioned from the Women's Flag Football Finals format to a full invitational tournament.

Baker opened the tournament in strong fashion against Hope International, building a 25-13 halftime lead before pitching a second-half shutout to pull away for the 30-point victory.

Tara Llorente tossed three touchdown passes in the win while Destiny Martinez hauled in three receiving touchdowns to lead the Wildcat offense. Baker controlled the game throughout the second half, keeping Hope International off the scoreboard after halftime to secure the first-round victory.

Later Thursday, the Wildcats matched up with unbeaten Warner, which eventually claimed the 2026 national championship. The Royals jumped out quickly with 20 first-quarter points, but Baker settled in defensively and held Warner to just 13 points over the final three quarters.

The Wildcats also turned in one of the better offensive performances any team managed against Warner all season. BU's 19 points were the second-most surrendered by the Royals during their entire spring.

Llorente finished with 151 passing yards and two touchdowns in the contest as Baker remained within striking distance for much of the afternoon after the early deficit.

Facing elimination Friday morning, the Wildcats squared off with familiar conference foe Kansas Wesleyan for the third time this season after previously defeating the Coyotes 31-6 and 40-13 earlier this year.

Baker struck first in Friday's matchup, but Kansas Wesleyan answered with a decisive second quarter, scoring 27 points to build a 34-12 halftime advantage. The Wildcats continued battling offensively throughout the second half, totaling 35 points in the season finale.

Alejandra Ramos completed 11-of-14 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns against the Coyotes.

With the season coming to a wrap, Baker finished with a 15-5 overall record and went 7-2 in conference play. The Wildcats marked their best finish at the conference tournament, reaching the KCAC Championship before falling to Ottawa in a hard-fought title match.

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