Wildcats Ranked No. 15 in NAIA Preseason Men’s Soccer Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Coming off a season in which they made their first postseason appearance in five years, the Baker men's soccer team earned a spot in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top-25 Poll, coming in at No. 15 in the preseason rankings which were announced yesterday by the national office.

The Wildcats are one of five teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference to be featured in the top-25 poll with last year's national runner-up William Penn slated at No. 2, followed by MidAmerica Nazarene at No. 8, Missouri Valley at No. 9 and Clarke at No. 23. League newcomer William Woods was among the teams to be receiving votes.

Last season, Baker made the program's 13th appearance in the NAIA Playoffs and hosted a first-round matchup against UC-Merced in Baldwin City where the Wildcats claimed their first postseason victory since 2019 with a 4-0 win over the Bobcats.

Finishing 2024 with a 13-8-1 overall record, the Wildcats debuted at No. 25 in the poll in late September last season (Sept. 25). It was BU's first appearance in the national rankings since 2021.

With 10 of their first 12 matches of 2025 being played at home, Baker returns a handful of key contributors from last year's roster, including sophomore Akira Itadani, who was a second-team all-conference honoree in his debut season. Joining Itadani amongst the returners are Javaughn Barrett, Iwan Roberts, Mo Salas, Marco Salgado and Ian Waindim, who all started at least 15 matches for BU in 2024.

The Wildcats open up their 2025 season tonight (Aug. 21) with a matchup against in-state opponent McPherson at 8 p.m. at Hartley Field. You can watch a free live stream of the match on the Urban Edge Network.

To view the full top-25 poll, please click here.

#BakerBuildsChampions