2026 NCAA baseball tournament: Regional schedule, scores, and additional details

The Men’s College World Series kicks off this Friday with regional competitions. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

So, how do NCAA Baseball Regional Tournaments work? Unlike a straightforward single-elimination format, the tournament starts with a regional phase, followed by super regionals, leading up to the Men’s College World Series. Each regional tournament uses a double-elimination format, featuring 64 teams divided into 16 groups of four. The top 16 teams nationally will host these regionals, with each serving as the No. 1 seed in their respective areas. Action gets underway on Friday, with winners progressing to the super regionals.

In the Super Regional, 16 teams compete across eight matchups in a back-to-back series. The victorious teams will then head to the Men’s College World Series, where they’ll be divided again into two groups of four, still using a double-elimination format. This ultimately leads to the Championship Series, which pits the last two teams against one another in a best-of-three showdown.

So, who are the top 16 teams? Here’s the list, ranked from first to sixteenth, all of whom are set to host their regional tournaments this weekend. Notably, the top eight teams will earn a guaranteed spot in the super regionals if they advance.

1. UCLA (51-6)
2. Georgia Tech (48-9)
3. Georgia (46-12)
4. Auburn (38-19)
5. North Carolina (45-11-1)
6. Texas (40-13)
7. Alabama (37-19)
8. Florida (39-19)
9. Southern Mississippi (44-15)
10. Florida State (38-17)
11. Oregon (40-16)
12. Texas A&M (39-14)
13. Nebraska (42-15)
14. Mississippi State (40-17)
15. Kansas (42-16)
16. West Virginia (39-14)

Now, what about the regional matchups? The 64 teams participating are organized into 16 regions, where seeds are assigned from No. 1 to No. 4 within each bracket. Here’s a quick look at the matchups:

• UCLA (1) vs. St. Mary’s (4)
• Virginia Tech (2) vs. Cal Poly (3)
• Georgia Tech (1) vs. UIC (4)
• Oklahoma (2) vs. The Citadel (3)
• Georgia (1) vs. Long Island (4)
• Tennessee (2) vs. East Carolina (3)
• North Carolina (1) vs. VCU (4)
• Texas (1) vs. Holy Cross (4)
• Alabama (1) vs. Alabama State (4)
• Florida (1) vs. Rider (4)
• Southern Miss (1) vs. Little Rock (4)
• Florida State (1) vs. St. John’s (4)
• Oregon State (1) vs. Washington State (3)
• Texas A&M (1) vs. Lamar (4)
• Nebraska (1) vs. South Dakota State (4)
• Mississippi State (1) vs. Lipscomb (4)
• Kansas (1) vs. Northeastern (4)
• West Virginia (1) vs. Binghamton (4)

Regarding the NCAA baseball schedule, games are set to unfold across days, starting with the top seeds facing the bottom seeds in the opening rounds.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the initial games, arranged by time (all times in Eastern):

• Kentucky vs. Wake Forest, 12 p.m.; ESPN2
• East Carolina vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m.; ESPNU
• UIC vs. Georgia Tech, 12 p.m.; ACCN
• Northeastern vs. Kansas, 1 p.m.; ESPN+
• Holy Cross vs. Texas, 1 p.m.; SECN
• Rider vs. Florida, 1 p.m.; ESPN+
• Milwaukee vs. Auburn, 1 p.m.; ESPN+
• Liberty vs. Boston College, 2 p.m.; ESPN+
• USC Upstate vs. Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.; ESPN+
• Little Rock vs. Southern Miss, 2 p.m.; ESPN+
• Lipscomb vs. Mississippi State, 2 p.m.; ESPN+
• St. John’s vs. Florida State, 3 p.m.; ACCN
• St. Mary’s vs. UCLA, 3 p.m.; ESPNU
• Washington State vs. Oregon State, 3 p.m.; ESPN+
• Lamar vs. Texas A&M, 4 p.m.; SECN

And the schedule continues throughout the weekend, showing a blend of matchups across the board. Keep an eye on the progression of teams as they navigate this exhilarating tournament!