ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Members of the Big South Conference and Explore Asheville held a news conference on Sept. 18 to announce that the Big South Conference baseball championships will be in Asheville for the next two years.

The six-team, double-elimination tournament will be held at McCormick Field in 2026 and 2027, according to a news release. It marks the second time the tournament has been held at McCormick Field, which hosted the event in 2009.

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“We are thrilled the Big South has chosen Asheville as the stage for its championship events,” said Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, in the release. “These competitions highlight the talent and dedication of student-athletes while also creating opportunities for fans to experience all our community has to offer.

According to the release, the Big South tournament will deliver nearly 275 student-athletes, their families and fans to Asheville. Those visitors will generate more than $750,000 in direct spending throughout the Asheville area, the release said.

“We are absolutely thrilled to bring the 2026 and 2027 Big South Baseball Championships to Asheville,” said Sherika A. Montgomery, Commissioner of the Big South Conference, in the release. “The combination of a revitalized McCormick Field, the incredible hospitality of Explore Asheville, and the support of UNC Asheville and local partners ensures a first-class experience that showcases our student-athletes and celebrates the spirit of collegiate baseball.”

Teams in the Big South are listed below:

UNC AshevilleUSC UpstatePresbyterianLongwoodRadfordWinthropHigh PointCharleston SouthernGardner-Webb

USC Upstate is the defending Big South Conference champion. It beat Charleston Southern 14-2 in the final game of last year’s championship held in High Point.

McCormick Field, which opened in 1924, is the home of the South Atlantic League’s Asheville Tourists, a Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Citv of Asheville is leading a centennial restoration of McCormick Field, supported by a landmark $23 million Tourism Product Development Fund investment from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority as part of a $55.6 million overall project. It is set for completion in the spring of 2026.

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Throughout its 100 years, McCormick Field has had many noteworthy events, including Ty Cobb hitting a home run in the inaugural game; having appearances by Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr. and other future MLB stars; hosting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936; and having the film “Bull Durham” being filmed there in the late 1980s, with Kevin Costner (Crash Davis) hitting his final home run at the ballpark.

The 2026 postseason tournament will feature three games each day for the first three days, May 20-23, leading up to Saturday’s championship round of one-or-two games. All games will air on ESPN platforms, with exact distribution to be announced next spring. Ticket pricing and seating availability will be announced in February.