Baseball 5/25/2026 11:52:00 AM Grant Cohen

Tarleton State Baseball selected for Austin Regional, faces UCSB in first Division I NCAA Tournament

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Baseball will return to Austin, Texas, for the Austin Regional with No. 6 overall seed Texas along with UCSB and Holy Cross in the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament, Monday's Selection Show revealed.

The Texans, No. 3 seed in the Austin Regional, will face No. 2 seed UCSB on Friday at 5 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in their first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament game. Friday's game will be available to watch on ESPN+.

The Western Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions clinched the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Sacramento State 21-11 in the conference tournament title game on Saturday in Mesa, Arizona. This will be Tarleton State's first Division I NCAA Regional and first NCAA playoff since 2018.

The program's WAC Championship gave Tarleton State Athletics its eighth conference tournament title at the Division I level (Baseball - 2024, 2026, Women's Golf - 2025-26, Women's Indoor Track & Field - 2026, Tennis - 2026, Men's Golf - 2026, Men's Outdoor Track & Field - 2026). Baseball is the sixth athletic program at Tarleton State to qualify for NCAA postseason competition since the Texans were elevated to Division I (Football, Track & Field, Women's Golf, Tennis, Men's Golf).

In addition to sweeping the WAC titles, Tarleton State Baseball has collected three wins over Power 4 conference opponents in 2026. The Texans upset No. 2 nationally-ranked Texas on March 17 and swept the season series with Baylor earlier in the year. Tarleton State has collected three of its four wins against Power 4 conference opponents in program history in 2026.

Head coach Fuller Smith was tabbed WAC Coach of the Year while six Texan student-athletes earned spots on the All-WAC Teams. Outfielder Rayner Heinrich was named All-WAC First Team. Pitchers Matthew McCullough and Anthony Treto along with catcher Sergio Guerra and outfielder Jake Tatom were all named All-WAC Second Team. Shortstop Ike Shirey was one of five players named to the WAC All-Defensive Team.

Six Texans were named to the All-WAC Tournament Team, with the list featuring Guerra, Heinrich, infielder Slade McCloud, utility Carson Lorch, pitcher Cort Lowry and infielder Raphaël Smeenk. Smeenk was named Most Outstanding Player for the Tournament, going 5-for-8 at the plate with two home runs, six RBIs in the Texans' last two games of the WAC Tournament.

Each regional field features four teams, playing in a double-elimination format and will be played Friday, May 29-Monday, June 1 (if necessary). The No. 6 nationally seeded Texas Longhorns are hosting an NCAA Regional for the 39th time in program history. The Longhorns are making their 65th postseason appearance and own an all-time NCAA Regional record of 153-60-1 (.721).

UCSB, who earned an at-large bid, will be making its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Big West Regular Season co-champions are top 10 in the country for earned run average, hits allowed per nine innings, and WHIP as a pitching staff. Pitcher Jackson Flora, a Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist, leads all qualified Division I pitchers with a 1.05 ERA. Holy Cross clinched the Patriot League automatic bid by winning the conference tournament.

Single session tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Tickets can be purchased on TexasLonghorns.com.

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