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REPORT: California Baptist to Leave the WAC, Join Big West in 2026

The Lancers are in their seventh season of Division I play.

Gavin Dorsey

Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad puts up a shot under cover from California Baptist forward Jonathan Griman as the Oregon Ducks host California Baptist Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad puts up a shot under cover from California Baptist forward Jonathan Griman as the Oregon Ducks host California Baptist Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

As conference realignment continues to alter the college sports world, universities across the country are left deciding whether or not to change leagues.

On Wednesday, Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported that California Baptist is the next school on the move. The Lancers are expected to leave the Western Athletic Conference in 2026 and join the Big West, which is losing Hawaii and UC Davis to the Mountain West. Cal Baptist will pay a $1.2 million entry fee.

McMurphy also stated that Utah Valley has received an invitation to the Big West, but the school has not yet made its decision.

Cal Baptist has risen through the ranks of college sports over the last decade and a half. From 1969 to 2010, the Lancers were in the NAIA, but moved up to NCAA Division II in 2010. In men's basketball, Cal Baptist made the Division II NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2018, earning trips to the Sweet 16 in 2015 and Elite Eight in 2018.

The school made the move to Division I in 2018, joining the WAC. However, they were unable to compete in the postseason until 2022-23 due to NCAA rules. In their seven Division I seasons, the Lancers have a men's basketball record of 115-98.

Currently, Cal Baptist is 14-14 on the season, including 7-7 in WAC play. The Lancers have two regular season games remaining and are ranked third in the conference.

Senior guard Dominique Daniels Jr. leads the WAC in scoring with an average of 20 points per game.

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Gavin Dorsey
GAVIN DORSEY

Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network, including the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Texans and Ohio State Buckeyes. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.

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