Jan 30, 6:00 PM UTC

Emmanuel vs Lee U - DH

Jan 30, 6:00 PM UTC

Belmont Abbey vs Coker

Jan 30, 7:00 PM UTC

Trevecca Nazarene vs Carson-Newman

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Hillsdale vs Montevallo

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Harding University vs Delta State

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

St. Edward's vs West Texas A&M

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Cedarville vs Lincoln Memorial

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Pittsburgh-Johnstown vs Lenoir-Rhyne

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Indianapolis vs MC

Jan 30, 8:00 PM UTC

Angelo State vs UT Permian Basin

Jan 30, 9:00 PM UTC

A&M-Kingsville vs Eastern N.M.

Jan 30, 9:00 PM UTC

Southern Wesleyan vs Newberry

Jan 30, 10:00 PM UTC

Fresno Pacific vs CSUDH

Jan 30, 10:00 PM UTC

MSU Billings vs CSUSB

Jan 30, 10:00 PM UTC

Colorado Mines vs CSUSM

2026 Huntingdon vs Emory

A Look At The University Athletic Association Ahead Of The 2026 Season

A Look At The University Athletic Association Ahead Of The 2026 Season

The University Athletic Association is small, but mighty. The UAA sent four teams to the NCAA Championship in 2025. Here’s a look ahead at the 2026 season.

Jan 27, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro
A Look At The University Athletic Association Ahead Of The 2026 Season

Every baseball team in the University Athletic Association will start the 2026 season knowing it has at least a 1:6 chance of making it to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

That’s because the conference only includes six teams, but since there’s no championship tournament at the and of campaign, the UAA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship will be based on conference records during the regular season.

Case Western Reserve is the two-time defending UAA baseball champion, but there’s no reason to think there won’t be a battle for the 2026 title.

Additionally, while winning the conference is a guaranteed way into the playoffs, it’s not the only way. In fact, three other UAA teams advanced last year via at-large bids.

CWRU locked up the 2025 title, its sixth overall, with a few games left on the schedule and rolled into NCAA regional play on a five-game winning streak.

Emory University, the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis all received at-large berths, marking the first time in UAA history that four teams advanced to the postseason tournament.

After all the automatic spots for conference champions, there were 22 spots up for grabs in the 64-team bracket. 

It also worked out that all four UAA teams were sent to different regional locations. 

CWRU hosted a regional in Cleveland; Emory headed to Lynchburg, Virginia; Washington played in Adrian, Michigan; and Chicago went to Saint Peter, Minnesota.

Compared to many collegiate conferences, the UAA is a relative newcomer, having finally come together in the 1980s as a way to bring together schools based on their academic similarities, rather than just how they stack up athletically, after a few years of discussions. 

And, despite their geographical distances, the schools also found commonality in each being from a major metropolitan area. 

The conference officially made its debut in the summer of 1986 with eight charter members, while a ninth school joined within a year.

NCAA recognition also came in 1987, along with some initial competition, and championship action officially began for the 1987-1988 academic year. 

The first UAA baseball champion was crowned in 1989, with Johns Hopkins taking the title for the first of four years. 

Over the nearly four decades that followed, the UAA still is searching for its first baseball national championship. 

Brandeis had a runner-up finish in 1977, prior to the creation of the UAA, and Emory was the runner-up in 2007 and 2014.

Heading into the new season, Case Western Reserve is ranked No. 14 in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25. Chicago, Emory and Washington just missed, but they did receive votes. 

University Athletic Association Baseball For 2026 

2025 University Athletic Association Standings

Place / Team / UAA Record / (Overall Record)

  • 1, Case Western Reserve – 14-5-1 (31-15-1)
  • T2, Chicago – 12-8 (29-15)
  • T2, Emory – 12-8 (28-16)
  • 4, Washington University – 10-10 (26-17)
  • 5, NYU – 8-11-1 (20-17-1)
  • 6, Brandeis – 3-17 (12-28)

The major UAA awards during the 2025 season were as follows:

  • 2025 UAA Position Player of the Year – Nick Harms, Case Western Reserve
  • 2025 UAA Pitcher of the Year – Russell Kwinter, University of Chicago
  • 2025 UAA Rookie of the Year – Russell Kwinter, University of Chicago
  • 2025 UAA Coaching Staff of the Year – Case Western Reserve

About The Teams Of The University Athletic Association

Learn about each team in the UAA:

Brandeis

Brandeis finished at the bottom of the 2025 UAA baseball standings and was one of the conference’s two teams that did not reach the postseason.

The Judges were 12-28 overall and just 3-17 in conference play. NYU was the other UAA team that didn’t make the playoff bracket and finished ahead of Brandeis with an 8-11-1 conference record.

Brandeis did end the 2025 campaign in style, however, notching a 13-3 win over Curry College to give its seven departing seniors a memorable sendoff. 

The Brandeis baseball team has been in action since 1952, but didn’t win more than nine games for the first time until 1975, which kicked off a run of six consecutive appearances in the national postseason, including a runner-up finish in the 1977 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. 

In all, the Judges have been to the NCAA Championship 18 times and finished among the top eight teams twice (1977, 1999).

The most recent seasons have been a struggle for the Judges, who won seven, six and 12 games in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively. In 2022, the team was 18-16 overall.

Brandeis’ next opportunity at trying to right the ship will begin Feb. 17-20 at the RussMatt Tournament in Davenport, Florida, where the Judges will play four games.

Case Western Reserve

Winning the 2025 UAA title earned Case Western Reserve its eighth trip to the Division III Baseball Championship. The Spartans entered the event with a 14-14 all-time record and went 3-2, which included the team’s first trip to a Super Regional. 

CWRU rolled through its home regional and brought an eight-game winning streak to Baltimore to face former UAA standout, top-seeded Johns Hopkins, in a best-of-three series

Unfortunately, that’s where the dream ended, as the Spartans were beaten in two games. 

Case Western Reserve finished its landmark season at 30-14-1 overall, and that included a 14-5-1 effort in conference play to claim the title. Chicago and Emory tied for second place at 12-8.

The year prior, the Spartans had a little more breathing room, topping the UAA standings at 13-3, while Emory was next at 9-6-1.

CWRU’s bid for a UAA three-peat will begin pretty late, with the team’s first games coming Feb. 21-22 against Oswego State. The Spartans will play nearly 20 games before kicking off conference play March 27 against Brandeis. 

Chicago

The University of Chicago baseball team is coming off its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, a spot earned via at-large selection after finishing tied for second place in the UAA standings. 

The Maroons did win three games in the double-elimination regional format, but they ultimately fell short, losing to Wisconsin-Oshkosh 10-2 in the regional final in Minnesota, with all 10 Oshkosh runs coming after the sixth inning. Through six, Chicago led 2-0. 

Chicago finished the year with a 29-16 record overall and the 12-8 tally in conference games. 

Fast Fact: The first year of baseball at the University of Chicago was 1893. The team was 11-4 that season. 

The Maroons will kick off their 2026 campaign Feb. 14-15 with a three-game series on the road at Centre College in Kentucky. 

Emory

Emory is coming off its first postseason appearance since 2017, which was the team’s 15th overall. 

The Eagles finished the year 28-16 and 12-8 in UAA play – tied for second place with Chicago – under first-year head coach Bobby Perez, who replaced longtime leader Mike Twardowski. It was the team’s 13th consecutive winning season. 

Perez wasn’t new to the landscape, however, as he’d previously served as an assistant coach for 15 seasons. During that time, the team won more than 380 games.

Despite falling short of the conference title after winning in 2022 (shared with CWRU) and 2023, the Eagles earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, where they went 2-2 in the double-elimination regional round, beating Maryville, losing to Lynchburg, beating Maryville again and then losing to Lynchburg with a spot in a Super Regional Round on the line. 

Emory’s previous postseason success includes runner-up finishes in the Division III Championship in 2007 and 2014.

The 2026 slate for the Eagles gets going at home Feb. 10 against Huntingdon. 

New York

New York University was one of the two UAA baseball teams that did not make the postseason in 2025.

Despite finishing fifth out of the conference’s six teams at 8-11-1, NYU finished above .500 overall (20-17-1) and landed two players on the All-UAA first team – outfielder/first-baseman Kosta Mocklis and left fielder Connor Roggero. Mocklis will be back for the 2026 campaign.

In 2024, NYU was 25-13, and the team has had a winning record each year since going 20-22 in 2016. 

The Violets will begin their 2026 redemption tour at home with a three-game series against Skidmore College on Feb. 28-March 1.

Washington University In St. Louis

Washington won eight of its last 10 games last year, and while the Bears only finished fourth among the six teams in the UAA at 10-10, their overall record was enough to impress the selection committee and earn them a spot in the 64-team postseason bracket.

As the team headed for regional play in Adrian, Michigan, the hope was to make another run at a national championship, improving on a top-8 finish in 2019. 

The Bears opened the regional round with a 10-9 win over Ohio Northern, lost an 11-inning heartbreaker to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater and then were bounced from the tournament in a 7-3 loss to Adrian College.

Washington finished the year with a 26-17 overall record. It was the third consecutive time, and 13th time since 2011, that the Bears have won at least 20 games. They’ve won a record 34 games four times – 2006, 2015, 2019 and 2021.

The continued success helped the Bears to the conference title in 2005, 2013 (shared), 2016, 2017 and 2019. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament 15 times and own a 16-27 record. 

Washington will begin its 2026 campaign Feb. 20-22 at the Babe Howard Classic in Millington, Tennessee.

When Does The 2026 College Baseball Season Start?

The 2026 college baseball season is slated to begin Feb. 13 with the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, which gets the NCAA action rolling for the Division I teams. 

For Division II and Division III, the action is set to begin Jan. 30 for most programs. 

When Does The 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Start?

The first/regional round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will be May 14-17, with times and locations TBD.

The NCAA Super Regional action will be held May 22-24, again, with times and locations TBD.

The last eight teams standing in the 2026 Division III Baseball Championship will head to Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, from May 29 through June 4 to battle through a combination of double-elimination and best-of-three competition until a champion emerges.

How To Stream University Athletic Association Baseball Games In 2026

Every UAA baseball game will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news also will be available on both platforms.

How To Watch More Of The 2026 College Baseball Season On FloCollege

College baseball in 2026 will be streamed on FloCollege and the FloSports app for select Division I preseason tournaments and for much of the Division II and Division III seasons. 

2026 D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Top 25

The first Top 25 of the regular season will be posted Feb. 24, 2026.

Team (first-place votes) – 2025 Record, Points (Previous Ranking)

  1. UW–Whitewater (18) – 49-6, 598 points (Previous: 1)
  2. Endicott (3) – 45-6, 577 points (Previous: 2)
  3. Denison – 41-7, 528 points (Previous: 4)
  4. Kean (1) – 41-11, 515 points (Previous: 7)
  5. Salisbury – 34-10, 452 points (Previous: 11)
  6. Lynchburg (1) – 41-9, 439 points (Previous: 10)
  7. Messiah – 39-16, 431 points (Previous: 3)
  8. Rowan – 38-12, 427 points (Previous: 5)
  9. Trinity (Texas) – 41-10, 417 points (Previous: 8)
  10. Salve Regina (1) – 36-9, 414 points (Previous: 9)
  11. Johns Hopkins – 44-5, 395 points (Previous: 6)
  12. Claremont–Mudd–Scripps (1) – 35-15, 387 points (Previous: 12)
  13. Cortland – 31-13, 339 points (Previous: 20)
  14. Case Western Reserve – 30-14-1, 265 points (Previous: 13)
  15. Webster – 37-9, 253 points (Previous: 22)
  16. La Verne – 35-11, 241 points (Previous: 17)
  17. Centre – 32-11, 220 points (Previous: 18)
  18. UW–Oshkosh – 35-16, 161 points (Previous: 15)
  19. Pomona–Pitzer – 32-17, 146 points (Previous: 24)
  20. Adrian – 30-18, 111 points (Previous: RV)
  21. Penn State Harrisburg – 34-13-1, 80 points (Previous: RV)
  22. McMurry – 35-13, 75 points (Previous: 16)
  23. UW–La Crosse – 35-11, 70 points (Previous: 14)
  24. Keystone – 37-11, 61 points (Previous: 23)
  25. East Texas Baptist – 31-16, 58 points (Previous: RV)

Others receiving votes: Belhaven 50, Baldwin Wallace 47, Brockport 46, Chicago 42, Babson 32, Misericordia 30, Washington (Mo.) 30, Randolph-Macon 28, Chapman 27, Whitworth 15, Concordia (Texas) 13, Elizabethtown 9, North Central (Ill.) 9, Emory 8, Gust. Adolphus 8, Maryville (Tenn.) 8, Stevens 7, Mount Union 6, Coast Guard 5, Lycoming 5, Montclair St. 5, Transylvania 4, Coe 3, MSOE 3, Penn St.-Behrend 3, Wash. & Jefferson 3, Arcadia 2, Bridgewater St. 2, Lebanon Valley 2, Middlebury 2, Buena Vista 1, Centenary (La.) 1, Earlham 1, Rutgers-Camden 1.

When Is The 2026 MLB Draft?

The MLB Draft begins the Sunday of MLB All-Star Week, which is being held in Philadelphia from July 11-14.

Shriners Children’s College Showdown 2025 Practice Day Vlog Recap

All teams that participated in the 2025 Shriners Children’s College Showdown had a practice day before the action started. 

Nicole Beckelman gives a sneak peek of Clemson, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, Louisville and Arizona's training at Globe Life Field before their opening day!


FloBaseball Archived Footage

Video footage from FloBaseball events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers.

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