Tops announce 2026 baseball schedule
Published 4:00 pm Thursday, October 16, 2025
Western Kentucky baseball coach Marc Rardin announced the team’s 2026 schedule on Thursday.
Western Kentucky baseball and head coach Marc Rardin have announced the team’s schedule for the 2026 season. The Hilltopper’s 2026 slate features a total of 56 games including 35 games played at home at Nick Denes Field.
WKU’s schedule is highlighted by 12 games facing Power 4 conference opponents, including five from the Big 12, four from the Big Ten and three from the SEC. Nine of those contests will be hosted by the Tops at The Nick, beginning with a four-game series with BYU from Feb. 13-16 to open the team’s 107th year of competition.
WKU hosts Southeast Missouri State for a four-game series from Feb. 20-22, then travels to face in-state foe Kentucky on Feb. 24 on the road in Lexington. The Tops will then return home to host Indiana from Feb. 27-March 1, followed by a trip just north of the commonwealth for a meeting with Cincinnati on March 3.
WKU hosts a series with Indiana State from March 6-8, followed by an outing against in-state rival Eastern Kentucky on March 11, wrapping up a stretch of 18 non-conference games – 16 of which will be hosted by the Tops at The Nick.
The Hilltoppers open Conference USA play against FIU from March 13-15, then travel for a midweek meeting with Belmont on March 17. WKU then opens road conference play with a series at Jacksonville State from March 20-22.
The Tops’ slate of matchups includes outings against four opponents coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2025, including one team that advanced to the College World Series in Louisville. The Tops face the Cardinals in a home-and-home series, beginning with a matchup at The Nick on March 24 before traveling to Louisville later in the season on April 14.
WKU continues road conference play with a series at Sam Houston from March 27-29, then returns home to host Tennessee Tech for a midweek matchup on March 31. The Tops enter April with a series against Liberty from April 2-4, followed by a midweek home contest versus Belmont on April 7. The team will host New Mexico State from April 10-12 before traveling for a series with CUSA newcomer Missouri State from April 17-19, then wrapping its home-and-home with EKU on April 21 in Richmond.
WKU enters a home-and-home with Austin Peay beginning on April 22 at The Nick, before closing the month of April with a road meeting against the Govs on April 28. The team also hosts conference opponent Kennesaw State in a series from April 24-26.
The team enters May and wraps its regular season with three-straight conference series beginning on the road at rival Middle Tennessee from May 1-3. The Tops return home for a final time in 2026, hosting Dallas Baptist from May 8-10, before concluding the 2026 regular season with a road series facing CUSA newcomer Delaware from May 14-16.
The 2026 Conference USA Championship will take place May 20-23, with the tournament’s location to be determined. Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
