St. Paul, MN -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) released the 2026 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday, with NCU Baseball predicted to finish sixth in the conference. The poll is voted on by all the head coaches in the conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.
 
Follow the UMAC baseball season this spring on the UMAC Sports Network; available to watch on the web, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a TV app for Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku.

2026 UMAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

        1. Bethany Lutheran | 36 (6)
        2. UW-Superior | 27 (1)
        3. Minnesota Morris | 25
        4. Northwestern | 23
        5. Crown | 19
        6. North Central | 9
        7. Martin Luther | 8


Top Returners

Dawson Barson, Sr, IF | UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention | .327 Avg. / .946 FLD % / 19 RBI / 12 2Bs
Abiram Terron De Jesus, So, IF | .323 Avg. / .455 SLG / 26 RBI 
Cardiff Smith, Gr, RHP | 7.77 ERA / 44 IPs / 3-0 Win-Loss Record 

Head Coach Adam Hill enters his second season at the helm for the Rams. Assistant Coaches Joe Seegers, Nic Sheley, and Riley McElfresh will serve as his assistants for the 2026 season. The Rams will look to turn preseason projections into results behind a demanding early slate and a balanced conference schedule. Click here to see the baseball FULL SCHEDULE.

NCU opens the 2026 campaign on Friday, February 27, hosting Lawrence University for a doubleheader at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The season then shifts south as the Rams compete in the Russmatt Invitational from March 8-13, facing Elms College (MA), Marymount University (VA), Blackburn College (IL), Alfred University (NY), and St. Norbert College (WI) across multiple neutral-site doubleheaders in Florida.

Conference play begins at home on March 20-21, when NCU welcomes the University of Northwestern (MN) to Gleason Field for a three-game series. The Rams then hit the road on March 26 for a non-conference doubleheader at College of St. Scholastica before opening April with a three-game road series at Minnesota Morris on April 3-4. NCU returns home on April 10-11 to host Crown College, followed by a non-conference home doubleheader against Carleton College on April 13. The Rams then travel north to face UW-Superior in a three-game series on April 17-18, before heading back to Northfield for a midweek road doubleheader at Carleton on April 22. Late April brings another key home conference series, as NCU hosts Bethany Lutheran College on April 24-25, followed by a road doubleheader at Augsburg University on April 27. The regular season concludes with a three-game road series at Martin Luther College on May 1-2.

The Rams will then set their sights on postseason play, with the UMAC Baseball Playoffs scheduled for May 7-9 at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota, where NCU will look to contend for a conference championship in the 4-team double elimination tournament. 

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