K-State Baseball Announces 2026 Schedule

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and a record-breaking 17 conference wins, K-State baseball and eighth-year head coach Pete Hughes have announced the Wildcats' complete 2026 schedule. The season officially gets underway on February 13 and features 26 home games at Tointon Family Stadium.

The Wildcats' 55-game schedule includes nine opponents that advanced to the NCAA Regional round last season, highlighted by Super Regional participants Auburn and West Virginia, along with College World Series qualifier Arizona. In total, K-State will face nine teams – 22 games – that finished with an RPI of 50 or lower in 2025, while two were ranked in the final D1Baseball Top 25 poll.

"My goal in scheduling each year is to put our team in best position to play in the national tournament," Hughes' said. "You have to check all the boxes that are prioritized by the committee – strength of overall schedule, strength of non-conference schedule, and RPI potential. At the same time, you want to play as many games at home as is possible to engage our fan base and generate revenue.

I believe we've achieved all of these things with our 2026 schedule. Also, I believe our Big 12 schedule will be ranked as one of the most difficult in the league, which will be favorable in the eyes of the committee."

Coming off their third straight 30-win season, the Wildcats return 17 letterwinners from the 2025 roster that finished 32-26 overall with a 17-13 mark in Big 12 play. Key returners include everyday starters AJ Evasco, Dee Kennedy, Bear Madliak, and Shintaro Inoue. Evasco, who earned D1Baseball Freshman All-American honors, turned in a record-breaking debut season by setting K-State freshman records for home runs (11) and RBI (52).

The Wildcats open the 2026 campaign on the road with an eight-game stretch, beginning at the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona on February 13-15. Tournament details and opponents will be announced at a later date.

After the Cats' first trip to Arizona, K-State will head to Texas and compete in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series for the second straight year at Globe Life Field from February 20-22. The Wildcats will face Auburn, Nebraska, and Michigan over the three-day event.

K-State concludes its season-opening road swing with a two-game midweek series at Louisiana (February 24-25).

The Wildcats' home opener is set for Friday, February 27, against Columbia, marking the start of their 26-game home slate. The early home schedule also includes a weekend series with SIUE (March 6-8) and midweek matchups against Wichita State (March 10) and South Dakota State (March 11).

The non-conference schedule also features midweek trips to Baylor (March 17), BYU (March 31), Grand Canyon (April 21), and Missouri State (May 5), as well as home-and-home series with Nebraska and Wichita State. The Wildcats will also host Omaha twice.

K-State begins Big 12 play on the road for the fifth time under Hughes, opening league action at Houston (March 13-15), while the first home conference series is set for March 20-22 against Arizona State.

Additional Big 12 road series include trips to Utah (March 27-29), Arizona (April 17-19), West Virginia (May 1-3), and UCF (May 14-16).

The home conference schedule is highlighted by the 2026 Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas on April 24-26 at Tointon Family Stadium. K-State will also host TCU (April 3-5) and Oklahoma State (April 10-12), before wrapping up its home slate against Cincinnati (May 8-10).

Details for the Big 12 Baseball Tournament in Surprise, Arizona, along with K-State's broadcast and ticket information, will be announced at a later date.

K-State will begin its fall schedule with an exhibition game at KU on Friday, October 24, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

The Wildcats will host their annual ALS Awareness Halloween Game on Monday, October 27, at Tointon Family Stadium at 6:30 p.m. and conclude their fall schedule with a three-game intrasquad Fall World Series that runs November 6-9 at Tointon Family Stadium.

– k-statesports.com –

How to follow the Cats: For complete information on the K-State Volleyball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

AJ Evasco

Shintaro Inoue

Dee Kennedy

Bear Madliak

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