Baseball | 12/29/2025 8:38:00 AM
GREENSBORO, NC — All bases are covered with the schedule release for the North Carolina A&T baseball program's 2026 season.
Twenty-29 of the 54 games on A&T's 2026 slate are at home inside historic World War Memorial Stadium, marking the most home games the team has played since playing 31 in 2018. It coincidentally coincides with the last time the Aggies won a conference tournament title.
A pair of in-state ACC opponents are also on the schedule, with both having played in the 2025 NCAA Championship Baseball Tournament. In an uncommon twist, the Aggies will play crosstown rival UNC Greensboro three times in three different locations.
There is also a wrinkle in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) scheduling. In a step toward ensuring the conference remains sustainable and competitive in the new era of college athletics, the conference decided to help members reduce travel costs and minimize the impact of its large geographic footprint. A secondary goal was to avoid scheduling practices that could compromise multiple schools' ability to receive at-large NCAA bids.
The new scheduling outlook has the Aggies playing Elon, Campbell and William & Mary six times apiece, home and away for respective three-games series. The Aggies will open the 2026 season on the home diamond in War Memorial, hosting Northern Illinois for a three-game series, February 13-15.
A&T's other home non-conference three-game series are against the University of Akron (Feb. 27-29) and Georgetown (March 27-29). The first of the three meetings against the UNCG Spartans occurs on Wednesday, March 18, at 4 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Two weeks later, the Aggies and the Spartans will play at a neutral site, the Greensboro Grasshoppers' First National Bank Field on Tuesday, March 3. The final meeting of the Gate City rivalry in 2026 will take place on Wednesday, March 11, at War Memorial Stadium at 4 p.m.
Two other neutral site games on A&T's schedule will take place in Hickory, NC, as the Aggies face Southern Illinois on Friday, February 20 (1 p.m.) and Appalachian State on Saturday, February 21 (1 p.m.). Two non-conference road games follow with games at Queens University on Sunday, February 22 (1 p.m.) and at the University of North Carolina on Tuesday, February 24 (4 p.m.).
UNC hosted an NCAA Super Regional last season. A&T's other ACC opponent, N.C. State earned an at-large NCAA bid in 2025. The Aggies will travel to Raleigh, NC, to face the Wolfpack on Tuesday, May 5. A&T has faced the Wolfpack 15 times since 2010 and is still looking to snatch its first victory over them.
A&T's remaining midweek road opponents include Gardner-Webb (March 24), High Point (April 7), and Winthrop (April 28). The remaining midweek home games are against Radford (March 17), Gardner-Webb (March 31), High Point (April 14), and UNC Asheville (April 21).
CAA play starts right down the road at Latham Park in Elon, NC, against the Elon Phoenix on March 6-8. Elon comes to #TheWar April 3-5. The other conference opponents who will visit the Aggies for a three-game series are Campbell (March 13-15), Northeastern (April 17-19), William & Mary (April 24-26), and UNC Wilmington (May 8-10). The Northeastern series will mark the third opponent on the Aggies' schedule who qualified for last season's NCAA tournament.
A&T will travel to face conference foes William & Mary (March 20-22), College of Charleston (April 10-12), Campbell (May 1-3), and Monmouth (May 14-16) in the last series before the conference tournament begins May 20 in Wilmington, NC. A&T will be trying to qualify for its first CAA tournament since joining the league in 2023. The top six teams make the tournament.
For the second consecutive year, the Aggies are welcoming many newcomers. There will be 17 new faces, including seven freshmen and 10 transfers. The arrivals join talented returners such as sophomore Tyler Smith, who was invited by Major League Baseball (MLB) to participate in the 2025 HBCU All-Star Classic. Smith also played for Team USA Baseball in the 2025 Collegiate National Team training camp.
Smith led the Aggies in hitting (.323) and was the only Aggie to play in all 52 games of the 2025 season. Redshirt sophomore JT Taylor and graduate right-handed pitcher Diego Barrett are also returning, two more players invited by MLB to the HBCU All-Star Classic.
Taylor started 51 games, producing a .297 batting average with 11 home runs. Barrett posted a 3.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP last season. The NCAA reduced roster limits from 40 to 34 players, reversing expansion changes made to address the challenges of the pandemic.
