Baylor Rocket League Esports Team Wins Conference Title in Inaugural Season

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-327-8012 
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In its first season of national esports competition, Baylor University’s Rocket League varsity team defeated Boise State, 4-1, to secure the program’s first-ever conference championship April 12 at the Power Esports Conference (PEC) Grand Finals, hosted at the HyperX Esports Arena in the Luxor Pyramid in Las Vegas. 

The win caps a perfect 20-0 run through PEC competition in Baylor’s inaugural season as a varsity program. 

“We are grateful to compete alongside programs who continue to raise the bar for all of us in collegiate esports,” said Adam Stanley, Baylor’s director of esports and head coach. “This championship reflects the vision and support of our administration and institution and above all, the hard work and commitment of our players who made it possible. We couldn’t ask for a better result from our collective efforts as a program in our Year Zero.”

The LAN (Local Area Network) event featured all nine PEC member schools competing in-person for the premier championship event, with Baylor also sending teams in Overwatch 2, Valorant and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, for the three-day event in the Entertainment Capital of the World. 

The Rocket League squad will flip to the East Coast, traveling to Orlando for the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Grand Finals on April 23 and 24, looking to bring a national title home to Waco, in what would be a stunning inaugural campaign for the newly minted Bears.

America’s Esports Capital

Baylor will then stake its claim as “America’s Esports Capital” when both the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TexSEF) and Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) host championship gatherings in Waco from April 30 to May 3.

TexSEF is the hosting organization of the Texas Esports State Championships, with high school students from around the country descending on Baylor campus and downtown Waco, with matches split between Baylor’s Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center and the downtown Waco Convention Center.

CECC serves as the “May Madness” collegiate national championships, bringing 4,000-plus guests to the area, with competitions held at the Waco Convention Center. 

All told, nearly 11,000 competitors, coaches, families and fans are expected in Waco for the doubleheader events, spanning both interscholastic and intercollegiate competitions. 

ABOUT BAYLOR ESPORTS 

Baylor Esports was formally established in 2025 with the hiring of Adam Stanley as the program’s first director and varsity coach. For the inaugural 2025-2026 season, Baylor is sponsoring a three-person Rocket League team, with professional gamers Colby “hockser” James, Andrew “Andy” Nolan and Kadin “Zineel” Zineelabidine already making waves in the global esports community.  

The varsity competition program enhances a longstanding gaming culture within the campus community, joining Oso Esports, Baylor’s gaming club that was established in 2017. Baylor Esports continues to build partnerships with Oso to form the Baylor Esports Academy – similar to professional soccer academies – to train and elevate student-athletes for future varsity rosters in expanded gaming competitions.  

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY 

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.