The Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois University baseball team will face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the opening round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
The game is scheduled for Friday, May 29, 2026, at 7 p. m.
CT at Dick Howser Stadium.
Northern Illinois enters the double-elimination tournament after a program-record 35th victory. The Huskies defeated Toledo 5-1 to clinch their first-ever MAC Tournament title.
Coastal Carolina earned an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed after finishing second in the Sun Belt Conference with a 37-21 record.
Northern Illinois holds the No. 3 seed at 35-17.
First Meeting Between Programs
This marks the first-ever baseball matchup between Northern Illinois and Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers reached the Men's College World Series championship series last year and won the national title in 2016.
The regional is hosted by No. 10 national seed Florida State, which opens against No. 4 seed St. John's.
Key Players and Stats
Northern Illinois senior pitcher Max Vaisvila is scheduled to start Friday's contest.
Vaisvila is 8-0 this season with a 3.04 ERA, striking out 85 batters across 83 innings.
The Huskies have drawn a school-record 277 walks this season, going 27-7 when walking at least five times in a game.
Outfielder Wyatt Wawro ranks third in the MAC with a . 507 on-base percentage, while graduate first baseman Gavin Baldwin leads the team with 15 home runs.
Coastal Carolina features a potent offense that ranks second in the Sun Belt with 112 stolen bases and fourth with 407 runs.
Sophomore outfielder Rex Watson leads the Chanticleers with 64 RBIs and 12 home runs.
Senior closer Darin Horn anchors the bullpen with a 7-1 record, seven saves, and 90 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.
Coastal Carolina also leads the Sun Belt with 135 hit-by-pitches and 68 sacrifice hits.
Northern Illinois posted a 1.80 ERA during the MAC Tournament, striking out 45 batters in 40 innings.
Vaisvila pitched eight innings during the tournament, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 against Western Michigan.
Head coach Ryan Copeland expressed pride in his team's resilience. "I'm so proud of them for dealing with the adversity we've faced this year," Copeland said.
"We played our best baseball when it matters most."
Copeland took over the Huskies program in June 2023 following a 10-43 season.
Under his leadership, the team won 21 games in each of his first two seasons before breaking the school wins record this year.
The Huskies are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1972. The winner of Friday's game will advance to face either Florida State or St. John's on Saturday.
