CAA Baseball Championship Gets Underway On Wednesday In Wilmington
Rob Washburn
CAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE CAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 19, 2026) – The 2026 CAA Baseball Championship gets underway on Wednesday from Brooks Field on the campus of UNCW in Wilmington, N.C. It’s the 16
th time that the CAA champion has been crowned at Brooks Field, which is the most of any site to serve as championship host.
Six teams will battle for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament using a format that rewards the top two seeds with first-round byes. Ten different schools have won the CAA championship since 2009, with UNCW (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024) and Northeastern (2021, 2025) being the only teams to earn more than one title during that 17-year stretch.
The double-elimination tournament opens at Noon on Wednesday as #4 Charleston (28-26, 18-12 CAA) faces #5 Hofstra (20-27, 14-16 CAA). That game will be followed at 4 p.m. by #3 Monmouth (29-21, 20-10 CAA) taking on #6 UNCW (28-26, 16-14 in CAA).
Thursday’s schedule begins with an 11 a.m. elimination game. Top-seeded Campbell (39-15, 26-4 CAA) meets the lowest-seeded Game 1/2 winner at 3 p.m. and #2 Northeastern (34-19, 22-8 CAA) takes on the highest-seeded Game 1/2 winner at 7 p.m. There are three more games on Friday and another on Saturday, setting the stage for the championship contest at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
.
Top-seeded Campbell finished atop the South Division with a sparkling 26-4 mark, breaking the CAA record for conference wins in a season. The Camels won nine of their 10 league series, including seven sweeps. Campbell topped the CAA with 441 runs scored and features the conference’s top two home run hitters in Jett Music (.307, 21 HR, 53 RBI’s) and Joey Morton (.307, 20 HR’s, 71 RBI’s). Freshman Carlos Lugo is batting a team-best .354. On the mound, the Camels have a league-low 4.51 ERA. CAA Pitcher of the Year David Rossow leads the staff with a 9-1 record, a 2.64 ERA and 93 strikeouts.
Defending champion Northeastern claimed the North Division crown with a 22-8 record. The Huskies have advanced to the CAA title game in four of the last five years, with two championships. Northeastern’s offense is spearheaded by outfielders Harrison Feinberg (.340, 15 HR, 61 RBI’s) and Ryan Gerety (.330, 5 HR, 36) and freshman Tyler Harmony (.386). The Huskies lead the nation with 203 stolen bases and have seven players with double-digit totals. On the mound, Robbie O’Connor (9-1, 4.08 ERA) and Luc Rising (5-4, 3.18 ERA) top the starting staff in front of reliever Andrew Wertz (1-2, 4 saves, 3.12 ERA).
Monmouth is making its first CAA Tournament appearance in its fourth year as a league member. The Hawks finished second in the North with a 20-10 mark and won its most overall games (29) since 2018. Monmouth has a potent offense paced by infielders Wyatt Hunt (.345, 5 HR, 42 RBI’s) and Simmi Whitehill (.321, 6 HR, 43 RBI’s) and outfielder Nick Lovarco (.335, 11 HR, 38 RBI’s). The Hawks’ pitching staff is fronted by starters Alec Couture (5-3, 4.94 ERA) and Ryan Mealy (5-4, 5.45 ERA), while Kevin Opanel (5-1, 4.22 ERA) is one of the conference’s top relievers.
Charleston, which made the CAA Tournament field for the 12
th straight year, comes into the event having won eight of its last 11 games and is seeking its first title since 2014. Offensively, the Cougars are led by catcher Dylan Johnson (.342, 4 HR, 35 RBI’s) and first baseman Alex LaCoste (.310, 7 HR, 36 RBI’s). On the hill, Carter Harrington (3-4) and Carter Bryant (3-3) top the starting staff. Leading the bullpen is Alex Lyon (3-1, 2 saves, 3.43 ERA), who holds the CofC program record with 100 career appearances.
Hofstra, which earned a CAA Tournament berth for the third time in the last five seasons, is hoping to replicate its first league title won in 2022. Spearheading the Pride offense are infielders Michael Brown (.327, 36 RBI’s) and Gabriel Melara (.323, 6 HR, 28 RBI’s), while CJ Griggs (.303, 8 HR, 37 RBI’s) and Tyler Cox (.272, 6 HR, 50 RBI’s) provide power. The ace of the pitching staff is senior Carlos Martinez, who is 5-2 with a 3.48 and has fanned 82.
UNCW has earned a berth in all 40 CAA Tournaments and owns a league-high eight titles, including two in the past three seasons. The Seahawks’ offense is led by third baseman Trevor Lucas (.332, 12 HR, 54 RBI’s) along with Mason Hughes (.331, 28 RBI’s) and JP Pennella (.373). UNCW has two of the CAA’s top starting pitchers in Trey Williford (7-1, 3.34 ERA) and Cooper Allen (7-4, 3.00 ERA) in front of reliever Clay Masonis (5 saves).
All games from the CAA Baseball Championship will be streamed live on FloCollege (flosports.tv/caa). To stay up to date with what is happening be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, go to the CAA Championship Central page at
www.caasports.com/baseball or
www.uncwsports/buytickets.
2026 CAA Baseball Championship
Brooks Field – Wilmington, N.C.
Wednesday, May 20
Game 1 - #4 Charleston vs. #5 Hofstra – 12 p.m.
Game 2 - #3 Monmouth vs. #6 UNCW – 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 21
Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 11 a.m.
Game 4 - #1 Campbell vs. Lowest-seeded Game 1/2 winner – 3 p.m.
Game 5 - #2 Northeastern vs. Highest-seeded Game 1/2 winner – 7 p.m.
Friday, May 22
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Lowest-seeded Game 4/5 loser – 11 a.m.
Game 7 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Highest-seeded Game 4/5 loser – 3 p.m.
Game 8 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 23
Game 9 – Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 – 1 p.m.
Game 10 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 – 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 24
Game 11 (if necessary) – Winner of Game 10 vs. Loser of Game 10 – 1 p.m.