The 2026 NCAA Division I baseball tournament field is taking shape as Kansas moves into hosting territory and the Southeastern Conference maintains its dominance with 12 projected bids in the latest field of 64 released on April 28, 2026.
Selection Monday is scheduled for May 25 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2, where the committee will rank the top 32 teams under a new seeding format that pairs seeds 17-32 with the top 16 national seeds. Tournament play begins May 29 at 16 regional sites before concluding at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, starting June 12.
Kansas has positioned itself for its first-ever Lawrence Regional after sweeping Kansas State and winning 17 of its last 18 games. The Jayhawks currently hold a No. 12 RPI and a 12-3 record in Quadrant I games while controlling their path to the Big 12 regular-season title.
Alabama remains within host territory despite losing three consecutive weekend series in the SEC. The Crimson Tide sit at No. 7 in the RPI rankings and likely require approximately six more wins during their final stretch against Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Ole Miss to secure a top-16 seed.
The Sun Belt Conference saw its projected bids drop from four to two this week due to league parity. While Coastal Carolina leads the conference, several bubble teams including Louisiana, Texas State, and Arkansas State have seen their tournament prospects dim as they struggle to overcome balanced conference records.
In the Big West, UC Santa Barbara’s status as a high two-seed was jeopardized following a series loss to Cal State Fullerton, dropping their RPI to No. 38. Arizona State also faces pressure at the back of the two-seed line with a No. 43 RPI and a limited 3-5 record in Quadrant I matchups.
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship HistoryYearChampion (Record)CoachScoreRunner-UpSite2025LSU (53-15)Jay Johnson5-3Coastal CarolinaOmaha, Neb.2024Tennessee (60-13)Tony Vitello6-5Texas A&MOmaha, Neb.2023LSU (54-17)Jay Johnson18-4FloridaOmaha, Neb.2022Ole Miss (42-23)Mike Bianco4-2OklahomaOmaha, Neb.2021Mississippi State (50-18)Chris Lemonis9-0VanderbiltOmaha, Neb.2020Canceled due to Covid-19——–2019Vanderbilt (59-12)Tim Corbin8-2MichiganOmaha, Neb.2018Oregon State (55-12-1)Pat Casey5-0ArkansasOmaha, Neb.2017Florida (52-19)Kevin O’Sullivan6-1LSUOmaha, Neb.2016Coastal Carolina (55-18)Gary Gilmore4-3ArizonaOmaha, Neb.2015Virginia (44-24)Brian O’Connor4-2VanderbiltOmaha, Neb.2014Vanderbilt (51-21)Tim Corbin3-2VirginiaOmaha, Neb.2013UCLA (49-17)John Savage8-0Mississippi StateOmaha, Neb.2012Arizona (48-17)Andy Lopez4-1South CarolinaOmaha, Neb.2011South Carolina (55-14)Ray Tanner5-2FloridaOmaha, Neb.