CAA Baseball Season Gets Started On Friday
Rob Washburn
CAA WEEKLY REPORT - FEB. 13
CAA teams will face six foes from Power 4 conferences on the opening weekend of the 2026 season. Hofstra plays a three-game set at 4th-ranked Mississippi State, UNCW and Charleston host Big Ten opponents as the Seahawks welcome Maryland for three games and the Cougars entertain Rutgers for four games. William & Mary travels across the state for a series at ACC member Virginia Tech. Northeastern takes part in the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona, facing Grand Canyon on Friday, Nebraska on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday.
Campbell, Elon and North Carolina A&T open their seasons at home with the Camels meeting a Cal Poly squad receiving votes in national polls, the Phoenix facing Delaware and the Aggies taking on Northern Illinois. Monmouth (at Richmond), Towson (at Norfolk State) and Stony Brook (at Arkansas State) are on the road.
Conference Notes
CHANGES TO REGULAR SEASON, TOURNAMENT FORMATS
For the first time since 2021, the CAA will move to divisions this season. Teams will play 10 conference series (30 games). North Division teams will face all four divisional opponents twice (home and away) and two series (one home, one away) against a team from the South Division. In the South, four teams will play two divisional opponents once and the other three teams twice (home and away) as well as two series against a North Division foe (one home, one away). Two South teams will meet one divisional opponent once and the other four teams twice ( home and away) as well as one series against a team from the North Division.
The top two teams in each division based on conference winning percentage will qualify for the six-team CAA Baseball Championship. The final two tournament participants will be the teams with the highest NCAA RPI at the end of the regular season that didn’t finish first or second in their division. The CAA Baseball Championship is set for May 20-23 at UNCW’s Brooks Field.
NORTHEASTERN, UNCW FAVORED
Northeastern and UNCW, who have combined to win six of the past seven CAA Baseball Championships, were picked to capture their respective divisions in 2026 according to a vote of the league’s head coaches.
• Northeastern received all four possible first-place votes (teams can’t vote for themselves) and 16 points to top the North poll. Towson got the remaining first-place vote and finished tied for second with Hofstra and Stony Brook with 9 points. Monmouth had 7 points.
• UNCW received three first-place votes and led the South poll with 23 points. Charleston was close behind with two first-place tallies and 22 points, while Campbell got one first-place vote and 18 points. Elon and William & Mary (10 points) were tied for fourth, followed by North Carolina A&T (7 points).
HONORS ROLL IN FOR FEINBERG
Preseason honors are rolling in for Northeastern outfielder Harrison Feinberg after an outstanding 2025 campaign. The senior was chosen as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, selected to the Preseason All-America second team by D1 Baseball and the NCBWA, and placed on the Preseason Watch List for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award.
Feinberg batted .367 in 2025 with 18 home runs, 67 RBI’s and a school-record tying 37 stolen bases. He was named the CAA Co-Player of the Year and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while also being named to the NCBWA All-America first team and ABCA/Rawlings All-America third team.
CHARLESTON DUO ON STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Charleston relievers Davis Aiken and Alex Lyon have been named to the Preseason Watch List for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award. Aiken led the CAA and ranked fourth nationally with 14 saves in 2025. He struck out 32 batters in 32 innings. Aiken’s 14 saves are the most of any returning reliever in Division I. Lyon posted a 10-1 record out of the pen with a 3.47 ERA. He fanned 34 in 59.2 innings. Lyon was also chosen to the NCBWA Preseason All-America third team.
RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Northeastern will look to build off a record-setting 2025 campaign. The Huskies set CAA and program records for wins in a season with a 49-11 overall mark. Included in that run was a nation’s-best 27-game winning streak, a sparkling 25-2 record in CAA regular-season play and NU’s second CAA championship. The Huskies also recorded their first NCAA Tournament win since 1973 with a 4-3 triumph over Bethune-Cookman.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
UNCW has put together a remarkable stretch of sustained success. The Seahawks have qualfied for all 39 CAA Baseball Tournaments and their eight conference titles are the most in league history. UNCW has reached the finals of nine of the last 10 CAA Tournaments, having won five of them. The Seahawks have reached the 30-win mark in the last 17 full seasons.