The 2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team is the team that represent the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Gauchos play their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium and are members of the Big West Conference. They are led by head coach Andrew Checketts in his fifteenth season as manager. The top five teams in the Big West Conference will play in the conference's postseason tournament, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA tournament. UC Santa Barbara made the conference tournament, but went 1–2. However, they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and will play in the Austin Regional against Tarleton State in the opening round. The Gauchos ended up losing that game 5–11, and were relegated to the elimination bracket. There, they faced Holy Cross. In their 15–1 win, Jackson Flora officially broke the UCSB single season strikeout record. In their second elimination game, they faced Tarleton State once again, winning 9–5. They then played Texas in their third straight elimination game. In it, they lost 4–6, officially ending their season.
Previous Season
Last season, UC Santa Barbara finished with a 36–18 record, going 16–14 in the Big West, and finishing tied for fourth in the conference. They fell in the first round in an elimination game against Hawai'i, falling 2–6. They did not receive an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, and finished the season unranked.
Preseason Big West Preseason Poll & Team The Big West Coaches' Poll and Team was released on February 6, 2026. UC Santa Barbara was predicted to finish first in the conference, and also had one player make the preseason team. Coaches' Poll 1 UC Santa Barbara 95 (5) 2 Cal Poly 89 (5) 3 UC Irvine 86 (1) T-4 Cal State Fullerton 67 Hawai'i 6 UC San Diego 60 7 Long Beach State 41 8 UC Davis 40 9 CSUN 25 10 Cal State Bakersfield 22 11 UC Riverside 13 Preseason Coaches' Team Player No. Position Class Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior
Personnel
Starters LineupPos. No.Player. Year C 12 Nate Vargas Senior 1B 6 Nick Husovsky Graduate 2B 25 Cade Goldstein Freshman 3B 31 Xavier Esquer RS Junior SS 5 Jonathan Mendez Junior LF 35 Max Stagg RS Sophomore CF 3 Rowan Kelly Sophomore RF 41 Noah Karliner Graduate DH 19 Cole Kosciusko Freshman
Weekend pitching rotation Day No.Player. Year Friday 2 Jackson Flora Junior Saturday 20 Nathan Aceves Sophomore Sunday 17 Kellan Montgomery Senior
Roster Source:
Schedule Source:
Legend Gauchos win Gauchos loss PostponementBoldGauchos team member
{| class="toccolours" width=95% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;" |- ! colspan=2 style="" | 2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball game log (40–20) |- ! colspan=2 style="" | Regular season (37–16) |- valign="top" | February (7–2) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC February 13 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at No. 20 Southern Miss* — Pete Taylor ParkHattiesburg, Mississippi 5–1 Flora (1–0) Allen (0–1) Hoover (1) 5,498 1–0 — February 14 10:00 a.m. ESPN+ at No. 20 Southern Miss* — Pete Taylor Park 6–8 Och (1–0) Krodel (0–1) Clark (1) 5,561 1–1 — February 15 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at No. 20 Southern Miss* — Pete Taylor Park 5–6 Clark (1–0) Jannicelli (0–1) None 5,459 1–2 — February 17 1:30 p.m. ESPN+ at * — Eddy D. Field StadiumMalibu, California Canceled due to inclement weather February 20 4:05 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka StadiumSanta Barbara, California 4–1 Flora (2–0) Newmann (0–1) Hoover (2) 735 2–2 — February 21 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Portland* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 3–2 Aceves (1–0) Anderson (0–1) Olivas (1) 901 3–2 — February 22 12:05 p.m. ESPN+ Portland* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 6–2 Montgomery (1–0) Via (0–2) Krodel (1) 636 4–2 — February 24 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at * — George C. Page StadiumLos Angeles, California 5–3 (11) Krodel (1–1) Champion (0–1) None 267 5–2 — February 27 4:05 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 7–2 Flora (3–0) McAnelly (1–2) None 631 6–2 — February 28 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Utah* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 7–1 Aceves (2–0) Riske (1–1) None 594 7–2 —
March (9–8) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC March 1 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka StadiumSanta Barbara, California 12–1 Montgomery (2–0) Abercromb (0–1) None 715 8–2 — March 3 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 11–1 (8) Donovann (1–0) Johnson (0–1) Olivas (2) 477 9–2 — March 6 4:05 p.m. ESPN+ — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 4–3 Flora (4–0) Fields (1–2) Krodel (2) 685 10–2 1–0 March 7 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Long Beach State — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 7–4 Olivas (1–0) Anderson (0–2) None 882 11–2 2–0 March 8 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Long Beach State — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 6–2 Montgomery (3–0) Shelby (1–1) Krodel (3) 607 12–2 3–0 March 10 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 13–3(7) Froling (1–0) Nobles (0–1) None 465 13–2 — March 13 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at — Dobbins StadiumDavis, California 4–0 Flora (5–0) Valdez (1–2) None 542 14–2 4–0 March 14 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Davis — Dobbins Stadium 4–5 Barnes (1–0) Krodel (1–2) None 535 14–3 4–1 March 15 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Davis — Dobbins Stadium 6–10 Barnes II (1–0) Montgomery (3–1) None 470 14–4 4–2 March 20 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1–2 Magdaleno (3–1) Tryba (0–1) Alkire II (3) 486 14–5 4–3 March 21 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1–3 Robello (4–1) Aceves (2–1) Alkire II (4) 696 14–6 4–4 March 22 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Hawai'i — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 5–1 Montgomery (4–1) O'Brien (1–3) Froling (1) 684 15–6 5–4 March 24 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Mary's* — Louis Guisto Field Moraga, California 4–10 Sarantos (1–1) Tryba (0–2) None 205 15–7 — March 27 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ No. 20 Oregon* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 0–4 Morgan (1–0) Olivas (1–1) None 854 15–8 — March 28 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ No. 20 Oregon — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 8–2 Tryba (1–2) Clarke (4–2) None 631 16–8 — March 29 12:05 p.m. ESPN+ No. 20 Oregon — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 0–2 Scolari (4–0) Montgomery (2–2) Bell (6) 812 16–9 — March 31 6:30 p.m. B1G+ at No. 12 USC* — Dedeaux FieldLos Angeles, California 6–7 Herrell (3–1) Froling (1–1) Troy (9) 907 16–10 —
April (11–5) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC April 2 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal Poly — Baggett StadiumSan Luis Obispo, California 6–0 Flora (6–0) Naess (4–2) None 2,287 17–10 6–4 April 3 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal Poly — Baggett Stadium 4–2 Tryba (2–2) Downs (2–1) None 2,814 18–10 7–4 April 4 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal Poly — Baggett Stadium 12–4 Montgomery (5–2) Turnquist (2–1) None 2,663 19–10 8–4 April 7 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ No. 14 USC — Caesar Uyesaka StadiumSanta Barbara, California 5–1 Krodel (2–2) Herrell (3–2) Tryba (1) 1,000 20–10 — April 10 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 3–4 Murdock (4–1) Tryba (2–3) King (1) 563 20–11 8–5 April 11 3:05 p.m. ESPN+ UC San Diego — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 11–10(11) Jannicelli (1–1) Cazares (1–1) None 795 21–11 9–5 April 12 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ UC San Diego — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 3–1 Montgomery (6–2) Gregson (0–7) Froling (2) 805 22–11 10–5 April 14 7:00 p.m. BTN at No. 1 UCLA — Jackie Robinson StadiumLos Angeles, California 4–0 Krodel (3–2) Cervantes (2–1) Tryba (2) 880 23–11 — April 17 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Irvine — Cicerone FieldIrvine, California 7–3 Flora (7–0) Hansen (4–4) None 961 24–11 11–5 April 18 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at UC Irvine — Cicerone Field 3–6 Ojeda (3–3) Aceves (2–2) None 865 24–12 11–6 April 19 2:00 p.m. ESPN2 at UC Irvine — Cicerone Field 8–4 Tryba (3–3) Ross (2–1) Krodel (4) 928 25–12 12–6 April 20 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ at — James W. Totman StadiumRiverside, California 11–6 Jannicelli (2–1) Teper (5–1) Hoover (3) 438 26–12 — April 24 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 8–3 Flora (8–0) Negrete (7–3) None 834 27–12 13–6 April 25 3:35 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Fullerton — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 7–9 Wright (3–4) Tryba (3–4) None 775 27–13 13–7 April 26 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Fullerton — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1–6 Smith (3–4) Montgomery (6–3) None 611 27–14 13–8 April 28 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ No. 1 UCLA* — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 3–15(7) Cervantes (3–1) Froling (1–2) None 1,366 27–15 —
May (10–1) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC May 1 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ at — Hardt FieldBakersfield, California 18–1 Flora (9–0) King (3–5) Jackson (1) 447 28–15 14–8 May 2 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Bakersfield — Hardt Field 4–3 Tryba (4–4) Minaker (1–3) Hoover (4) 345 29–15 15–8 May 3 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Bakersfield — Hardt Field 19–9 Aceves (3–2) Gutierrez (4–3) None 278 30–15 16–8 May 5 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ * — Caesar Uyesaka StadiumSanta Barbara, California 13–3(8) Olivas (2–1) Fowler (1–5) Tryba (3) 659 31–15 — May 8 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ at — Matador FieldNorthridge, California 8–4 Hoover (1–0) King (3–2) Jannicelli (1) 417 32–15 17–8 May 9 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Northridge — Matador Field 5–4 Froling (2–2) Voorhies (4–3) Jannicelli (2) 357 33–15 18–8 May 10 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Northridge — Matador Field 4–2 Montgomery (7–3) Armijo (0–1) Tryba (4) 295 34–15 19–8 May 11 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 3–8 Peck (7–1) Aceves (3–3) None 514 34–16 — May 14 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1–0 Flora (10–0) Torres (1–5) None 775 35–16 20–8 May 15 4:35 p.m. ESPN+ UC Riverside — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 15–5 Tryba (5–4) O'Brien (3–7) None 759 36–16 21–8 May 16 1:05 p.m. ESPN+ UC Riverside — Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 5–3 Montgomery (8–3) DiGirolama (1–2) Jannicelli (3) 844 37–16 22–8 |- ! colspan=2 style="" | Postseason (3–4)
(1–2) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWCT Record May 21 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Fullerton (5) (1) Cicerone FieldIrvine, California 7–4 Flora (11–0) Harper (0–2) None 612 38–16 1–0 May 22 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal Poly (2) (1) Cicerone Field 2–4 Turnquist (8–2) Hoover (1–1) Bonn (14) 698 38–17 1–1 May 23 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC San Diego (3) (1) Cicerone Field 0–7 Ries (3–3) Montgomery (8–4) None 587 38–18 1–2 {| class="wikitable collapsible" style="margin:auto; width:100%; text-align:center; font-size:95%" ! colspan=14 style="padding-left:4em;" | (2–2) |- ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Date ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Time (PST) ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | TV ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Opponent ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Rank ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Stadium ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Score ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Win ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Loss ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Save ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Attendance ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | Overall ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" | NCAA Tournament Record |-bgcolor="ffdddd" | May 29 || 3:00 p.m. || ESPN+ || vs Tarleton State (3) || (2) || UFCU Disch-Falk FieldAustin, Texas || 5–11 || Davis (7–0) || Proskey (0–1) || Treto (8) || 6,833 || 38–19 || 0–1 |-bgcolor="bbffbb" | May 30 || 11:00 a.m. || ESPN+ || vs (4) || (2) || UFCU Disch-Falk Field || 15–1 || Flora (12–0) || Lenahan (3–7) || None || 6,634 || 39–19 || 1–1 |-bgcolor="bbffbb" | May 31 || 10:00 a.m. || ESPN+ || vs Tarleton State (3) || (2) || UFCU Disch-Falk Field || 9–5 || Aceves (4–3) || Carter (0–2) || None || 6,720 || 40–19 || 2–1 |-bgcolor="ffdddd" | May 31 || 3:00 p.m. || ESPN+ || vs Texas (1) || (2) || UFCU Disch-Falk Field || 4–6 || Burns (1–0) || Froling (2–3) || Harrison (1) || 7,884 || 40–20 || 2–2
Notes
Awards
Preseason
National team Preseason Perfect Game All-American First Team Player No. Position Class Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior Baseball America All-American First Team Player No. Position Class Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior Golden Spikes Award Watchlist Player No. Position Class Jackson Flora 2 RHP Junior
Rankings
References
External links UCSB Baseball