The 2026 Appalachian League season is the 6th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Appalachian League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, since it became a collegiate summer league in 2021. It will be the 96th season overall for the league, including the 90 seasons it served as a professional rookie-level and Class D affiliate league in Minor League Baseball (MiLB).
The Bluefield Ridge Runners entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Kingsport Axmen in the league's 2025 championship game.
Season schedule It was announced during the offseason that the Tri-State Coal Cats were folding after only playing two seasons due to challenges coordinating with Marshall University over the use of the facilities at Jack Cook Field.
Also, it was announced that the Bristol State Liners were going on hiatus for the 2026 season due to the uncertainty regarding their future as a franchise surrounding their potential new stadium.
The season will be played with a 48-game schedule, with the regular season starting on June 4 and concluding on July 30. The top two teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs that start on July 31.
Regular season standings
+ East Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 Danville Otterbots - X442519.568--2 Pulaski River Turtles - X4525200.53 Bluefield Ridge Runners4419256.04 Burlington Sock Puppets4117246.5
+ West Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 Kingsport Axmen - X362412--2 Johnson City Doughboys - X3518173.53 Elizabethton River Riders3517184.54 Greeneville Flyboys3415196.0
x – Clinched playoff spot
Statistical leaders
Hitting Stat Player Team Total HR Brandon Novy Burlington Sock Puppets 9 AVG Alex Meyers Bluefield Ridge Runners .404 RBIs Deacon Pomeroy Burlington Sock Puppets 35 SB Bryce Clavon Burlington Sock Puppets 19
Pitching Stat Player Team Total W Tyler Kenast Danville Otterbots 5 ERA Diego Gutierrez Danville Otterbots 1.26 SO Michael Savarese Kingsport Axmen 23 SV PJ Fitzpatrick, Jake Wise Bluefield Ridge Runners, Pulaski River Turtles 3
Awards Award Player Team Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year Manager of the Year Organization of the Year N/A Executive of the Year Promotional Award of Excellence N/A Community Service Award N/A Humanitarian Award
Playoffs
Format The team with the best winning percentage in each division hosts the team in its division with the second-best winning percentage. The winners will meet in the Appalachian League Championship Game. In even-numbered years, the East Division hosts the game, while in odd-numbered years, the West Division hosts.
Playoff bracket
See also 2026 FCBL season 2026 Major League Baseball season 2026 Northwoods League season 2026 PGCBL season 2026 Prospect League season
References