Opening Day for the 2026 college baseball season is just around the corner.
Can't you smell the fresh cut outfield grass, hear rally chants and picture the sunflower seeds scattered across the diamond? Ok, maybe not yet, but it’s coming soon.
There’s a lot to be excited for in the new season, so here is a preview of some of the most important dates to note for the 2026 season.
Opening day: Feb. 13
The national holiday falls on Friday, Feb. 13 this year. The day will be headlined by invitationals across the country and ranked matchups.
Last season’s opening day featured upsets and must-see plays. Expect major performances, funky finishes and more this time around.
Arizona vs. Oregon State: Feb. 14
Two former Pac-12 foes meeting on Valentine’s Day…why should this be circled on calendars?
Well, the 2025 Men’s College World Series was a diverse bunch — seven different conferences were represented in Omaha. Hence, the odds of a regular season matchup between any of them weren’t high.
And that’s the case this year. No. 12 Oregon State and No. 24 Arizona is the only regular season matchup between the eight squads that competed in mid-June.
The Wildcats and the Beavers will face each other in the College Baseball Series in Surprise, AZ, that weekend alongside Michigan and Stanford.
PRESEASON RANKINGS: UCLA and LSU lead 2026 D1Baseball top 25
ACC play starts: Mar. 6
Heading into the 2025 super regionals, there was no conference deeper than the ACC.
Five teams reached the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, one more than the SEC. Then a mixture of ACC on ACC violence, upsets and down-to-the-wire battles occurred that left the conference with just one team packing its bags for Omaha.
Although disappointing, it doesn’t diminish how good the conference was last year and could be in 2026. Seven teams made D1Baseball’s preseason top 25, the highest being Georgia Tech at No. 5.
Here are the four matchups that will kick off ACC play:
- No. 5 Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
- No. 11 North Carolina vs. Virginia
- No. 22 Miami (Fla.) vs. Boston College
- Duke vs. Notre Dame
SEC play starts: Mar. 13
The SEC is the crown jewel of college baseball, bringing home the last six national championship trophies — eight of the last 10.
Five of the 10 teams in D1Baseball’s preseason top 25 rankings, including Nos. 2-4, all hail from the conference.
This doesn’t guarantee a seventh straight title run for the conference, even with recent history and rankings on their side, but it does mean all eyes will be on them. The storylines are endless.
Can LSU go back-to-back? Will Arkansas bring coach Dave Van Horn his first DI national championship? What’s in store for Vanderbilt?
Below are the battles during SEC’s opening weekend, featuring a preseason top 10 meeting:
- No. 2 LSU at No. 23 Vanderbilt
- No. 3 Texas vs. Ole Miss
- No. 4 Mississippi State at No. 7 Arkansas
- No. 9 Auburn at Missouri
- No. 13 Florida vs. South Carolina
- No. 14 Tennessee at No. 15 Georgia
- No. 18 Kentucky vs. Alabama
- No. 25 Texas A&M at Oklahoma
PRESEASON HONORS: 2026 All-Americans, according to D1Baseball
Invitationals/tournaments
The first month of the college baseball season means good weather and out-of-conference meetings — specifically, round-robin weekend tournaments that allow teams from around the nation to get a taste of competition they might see in the postseason.
Below is a list of every tournament, invitational or classic slated for the 2026 season:
(Readers may have to scroll to read the entire table)
| Name | Dates | Location | Number of teams | Preseason ranked teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Willie Mays HBCU Baseball Invitational | Jan. 30-Feb. 2 | Rickwood Field - Birmingham, AL | 7 | 0 |
| Shriners Children’s College Showdown | Feb. 13-15 | Globe Life Field - Arlington, TX | 6 | 3 |
| College Baseball Series | Feb. 13-15 | Surprise Stadium - Surprise, AZ | 4 | 2 |
| MLB Desert Invitational | Feb. 13-16 | 2 Locations - Mesa / Scottsdale, AZ | 8 | 0 |
| Puerto Rico Challenge | Feb. 13-16 | 2 Locations - Ponce / Caguas, Puerto Rico | 8 | 2 |
| Amegy Bank College Baseball Series - Weekend 2 | Feb. 20-22 | Globe Life Field - Arlington, TX | 6 | 3 |
| **Andre Dawson Classic | Feb. 20-22 | Jackie Robinson Training Complex, Vero Beach, Fla. | 7 | 0 |
| Jax College Baseball Classic | Feb. 20-22 | VyStar Ballpark - Jacksonville, Fla. | 4 | 1 |
| Karbach Round Rock Classic | Feb. 20-22 | Dell Diamond - Round Rock, TX | 4 | 1 |
| Kleberg Bank College Classic | Feb. 20-22 | Whataburger Field - Corpus Christi, TX | 4 | 0 |
| Swig & Swine Classic | Feb. 20-22 | Shipyard Park - Charleston, S.C. | 4 | 0 |
| Tony Gwynn Legacy | Feb. 19-22 | Tony Gwynn Stadium - San Diego, CA | 6 | 0 |
| Amegy Bank College Baseball Series - Weekend 3 | Feb. 27-Mar. 1 | Globe Life Field - Arlington, TX | 6 | 4 |
| Bruce Bolt College Classic | Feb. 27-Mar. 1 | Daikin Park - Houston, TX | 6 | 2 |
| Frisco College Baseball Classic | Feb. 27-Mar. 1 | Riders Field - Frisco, TX | 4 | 1 |
| Keith LeClair Classic | Feb. 27-Mar. 1 | Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair - Greenville, NC | 4 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Classic | Feb. 27-Mar. 1 | Las Vegas Ballpark - Las Vegas, NV | 4 | 2 |
**HBCU invitational or classic
NCAA baseball tournament schedule
- Selection show: Monday, May 25 (Time and TV channel TBD)
- Regionals: Friday-Monday, May 29-June 1
- Super Regionals: Friday-Monday, June 5-8
- First day of Men's College World Series games: Starts Friday, June 12 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, NE
- MCWS finals: Saturday-Sunday/Monday, June 20-21/22
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