All articles tagged with #college baseball
East Carolina University’s baseball team routed Rutgers 14-2 at Clark-LeClair Stadium on February 27, 2026, with early offense from Grady Lenahan and Austin Irby (Irby homered for 2 RBIs) and sustained run production by multiple Pirates to secure the win.
UCLA remains No. 1 in the D1Baseball Top 25 with the rest of the top six (LSU, Texas, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Coastal Carolina) posting 3-0 weekends. TCU jumps to No. 7 after a 2-1 weekend against SEC opponents, while Arkansas falls to No. 8 and North Carolina to No. 10. Louisville slides to No. 15; Vanderbilt and Arizona drop out of the rankings. Oklahoma enters the Top 25 at No. 21 after a 3-0 Globe Life weekend, Texas A&M rises to No. 24, and West Virginia debuts at No. 25 following a road sweep of Georgia Southern.
South Carolina salvaged a weekend with a doubleheader sweep of Northern Kentucky, but the offense struggled in the series finale and over the weekend, going 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position and 10-for-47 with runners on. Coach Paul Mainieri said the team looked tired after Friday’s 18-inning session and regretted not holding a proper batting practice, hinting at potential lineup tweaks ahead of a doubleheader with Princeton.
East Carolina beat Xavier in a high-scoring, 12-inning game, with Colby Weber earning the win and ECU improving to a 1-2 season record.
Florida State exploded for 16 runs and shut out James Madison in the season opener at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, with Cade O’Leary earning the win and Tyler Muscar taking the loss. The offense included Brayden Dowd’s three-run homer and Brody DeLamielleure’s homer, plus RBI production from Cal Fisher, Noah Sheffield and others to cruise to victory.
Xavier defeated East Carolina in a non-conference college baseball game at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Xavier pitcher Eli Bridenthal earned the win, Gavin Van Kempen took the loss for ECU, and Garrett Helsel recorded the save. The Musketeers delivered key offensive moments, including home runs by JD Crisp and Tommy Townsend, sealing a victory in the nine-inning contest.
Senior left-hander Michael Sharman pitched six scoreless innings on one hit to lead No. 17 Clemson to a 10-0 eight-inning win over Army West Point in game 1 of a doubleheader, as the Tigers collected 17 hits to take a 2-0 series lead. Offense came from Nate Savoie (including a homer), Bryce Clavon (two RBIs and a homer), Jarren Purify, Ty Dalley, and others, with every starter recording a hit. The series concludes with game 2 around 3:05 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Seton Hall star Justin Ford suffered a freak injury during a moon-shot home run, twisting his foot and leaving the game; a pinch-runner finished the plate appearance, and Ford’s season appears to be over.
Baseball America released its preseason Field of 64 projection for the 2026 NCAA baseball tournament, reflecting a new seeding system that ranks the top 32 teams and distributes seeds 17–32 across regionals by ranking. The field 1–16 will still host regionals, while 29–32 are paired with the top seeds. The projection, based on BA’s preseason Top 25, shows the SEC with 13 bids, followed by the ACC with 9 and the Big 12 with 7, and lists regional hosts and matchups led by top seeds such as UCLA, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Texas.
LSU is No. 1 in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the 2026 college baseball season, with UCLA close behind, as opening day approaches; the SEC dominates the top 25 with nine teams (three in the top five), while the ACC also has nine teams, with Baseball America and D1Baseball rankings also highlighted.
The SEC and ESPN released the 2026 college baseball TV schedule, confirming eight Tennessee regular-season games televised on ESPN networks (four of them in Knoxville) with the rest streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Tennessee also has three games in Arlington (Amegy Bank College Baseball Series) streamed via FloCollege. Four wildcard games during the final weekend (May 14–16) will air on SEC Network, and all 15 SEC Tournament games will be televised (championship on ABC). Notable early dates include 3/14 at Georgia (5 p.m. ET, SEC Network), 3/27 at Vanderbilt (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU), 3/28 at Vanderbilt (2 p.m., SEC Network), 3/29 at Vanderbilt (12 p.m., ESPN2), 4/3 vs LSU (5:30 p.m., SEC Network), 4/4 vs LSU (6 p.m., ESPN2), 4/23 vs Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN2), and 5/10 vs Texas (12 p.m., ESPN2).
Legendary Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess, who built a national powerhouse and led the Cardinal to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1987-88, died on Jan. 30 after a 41-season tenure at Stanford; he mentored generations of players, earned Olympic gold with the U.S. team in 1988, and left a lasting impact on the program and USA Baseball.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, Baylor alumni and stars of HGTV's Fixer Upper, donated the largest gift in Baylor baseball history to name Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark and support future capital projects; the amount was undisclosed. Baylor leaders praised the gift for advancing the program and the overall Baylor Athletics experience.
Florida Gators baseball team has announced the addition of veteran coach Tom Slater as associate head coach, bringing nearly 35 years of coaching experience in college and professional baseball, including stints at Auburn, VMI, Florida, and in Major League Baseball, with a focus on player development and team leadership.
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello is leaving to manage the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first college coach with no MLB experience to make the jump. UT Athletic Director Danny White congratulated Vitello, highlighting his achievements including a national championship and multiple SEC titles, and emphasized ongoing investments in the program. Vitello's departure marks a significant transition for Tennessee baseball after a highly successful eight-year tenure.