Baseball | May 25

DeKALB, Ill. – The Mid-American Champion Northern Illinois University baseball team will play in the Tallahassee Regional at Florida State in the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship this weekend, as the NCAA released the tournament bracket on Monday.
 
NIU won its first MAC title on Saturday night, defeating Toledo 5-1to complete a 4-0 run through the conference tournament. This will be the Huskies' first appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship since 1972.
 
"You never know where you're going to end up and that's the cool thing about the selection show," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "The reaction our guys had was authentic. Florida State is a special place to play with a lot of history. We'll have our hands full with Coastal Carolina. It'll be a highly competitive regional and we're excited to go compete."
 
The Huskies won their program-record 35^th game to win the MAC Championship. NIU is the three-seed in the regional and will take on the second-seed Coastal Carolina on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT at Dick Howser Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN+. Coastal Carolina is 37-21 on the season and finished second in the Sun Belt with a 21-9 record. Last season the Chanticleers won 56 games and reached the championship series of the Men's College World Series. This will be the first meeting all-time between NIU and Coastal Carolina.
 
Florida State (38-17) is the #10 overall seed in the tournament and will face the Big East champions St. John's (33-24) on Friday at 2 p.m. CT. NIU has faced both Florida State and St. John's just once in the program's history. The Huskies took on Florida State back in 1971 and St. John's in 2012.
 
For information on tickets, call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
The winner of the Tallahassee Regional will face the winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional in a super regional.
 
2026 NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 29
Game 1: vs. (1) Florida State vs. (4) St. John's (3 p.m.) - ACCN
Game 2: (2) Coastal Carolina vs. (3) NIU (8 p.m.) - ESPN+

Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 (1 p.m.)
Game 4: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 (6 p.m.)

Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Winner G3 vs. Loser G4 (1 p.m.)
Game 6: Winner G4 vs. Winner G5 (6 p.m.)

Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner G6 vs. Loser G6 (TBA - IF NECESSARY)
 
The Huskies are thriving in this new era of college athletics. With your continued support, our program is positioned not only to compete for championships, but to bring them home. This latest title is a testament to what is possible when commitment meets excellence. As we celebrate this achievement, we invite you to be part of what comes next by giving to the Boneyard Competitive Excellence Fund, because the future of Huskie championships starts with you.
 
--NIU--