WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY (May 19, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship is set for this week at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, NY from Wednesday through Saturday May 20-23, 2026. The 2026 MAAC Baseball Championship is a six-team double elimination championship and all rounds will reseed. This will be the 14th time that the championship is hosted at the ballpark (previously named Dutchess Stadium), the most in MAAC history. All games during the championship will be broadcast live on
ESPN+.
The championship field will feature MAAC Regular Season Champion and top-overall seed Rider University, No. 2 Niagara University, No. 3 Fairfield University, No. 4 Merrimack College, No. 5 Canisius University, and No. 6 Marist University.
No. 1 Rider finished the 2026 campaign with a 22-8 MAAC record and 30-17 overall mark and secured the MAAC Regular Season title for the second straight season. The Broncs will receive a bye and open championship action on Thursday, May 21 at 11:00 am against the lowest seeded winner from game 1 and 2. Rider enters the postseason as last year’s runner-up. The Broncs, which has made the championship field in six consecutive seasons dating back to 2021, has won four MAAC Championships all-time with two coming in the most recent stretch back in 2021 and 2023.
No. 2 Niagara also clinched a bye and will begin its postseason on Thursday at 3:00 pm against the highest seeded winner from game 1 and 2. The Purple Eagles went 20-10 in MAAC play during the regular season and 26-19-1 overall. Niagara, which won its only MAAC Championship in program history two years ago in 2024, returns to the playoff for the sixth straight time dating back to 2021.
No. 3 Fairfield (27-21, 20-10 MAAC) vs. No. 6 Marist (23-28, 17-13 MAAC)
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY | 11:00 AM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
No. 3 Fairfield will meet No. 6 Marist in the championship’s first game. Fairfield will look to defend its crown and become the first back-to-back champions since Manhattan in 2011 and 2012. The Stags are making the championship field for the seventh straight time since 2019 and have made the championship series in five out of the past six playoffs over the same time span. In total, the Stags have won five MAAC Championships. Marist capped off 2026 with a 17-13 MAAC mark and 23-28 overall record. The Red Foxes are making their third championship field in a row. Marist has won the most MAAC titles among current league members (6) but have not hoisted the league trophy in almost a decade, last winning it all in 2017. The Stags and the Red Foxes met for a regular season series between May 8-10 in Fairfield. Fairfield took the series 2-1, winning the first and final games in the matchup. In the postseason, the two sides last met in the final elimination game of the 2024 championship, with Fairfield defeating Marist 11-8, to punch its ticket into the championship series.
No. 4 Merrimack (26-27, 20-10 MAAC) vs. No. 5 Canisius (21-25, 17-13 MAAC)
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY | 3:00 PM | ESPN+ |
Live Stats
No. 4 Merrimack and No. 5 Canisius will battle in the second game of day one. Merrimack is making its first ever trip into the MAAC postseason after going 20-10 in the regular season, making the biggest jump in the league from a year ago, going +9 in conference play after an 11-19 finish in 2025, and finishing as the No. 4 seed after being picked 12
th in the preseason poll. Canisius returns to the postseason after a one year hiatus last season. The Golden Griffins have had resent success in the MAAC Championship, winning all four of their titles since 2013, most recently in 2022. The Warriors and Griffs met in a three-game set on March 20-21 in Buffalo, where Canisius took two out of three to win the series. This will be the first ever postseason meeting between the two teams.
2026 MAAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCHEDULE
Heritage Financial Park | Wappingers Falls, NY |
| Game |
Matchup |
Date |
Time |
Network |
Statistics |
| 1 |
No. 3 Fairfield vs. No. 6 Marist |
May 20 |
11:00 AM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 2 |
No. 4 Merrimack vs. No. 5 Canisius |
May 20 |
3:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 3 |
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 |
May 20 |
7:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 4 |
No. 1 Rider vs. Winner Game 1/2 Lower Seed |
May 21 |
11:00 AM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 5 |
No. 2 Niagara vs. Winner Game 1/2 Higher Seed |
May 21 |
3:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 6 |
Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4/5 Lower Seed |
May 21 |
7:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 7 |
Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 |
May 22 |
11:00 AM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 8 |
Loser Game 4/5 Higher Seed vs. Winner Game 6 |
May 22 |
3:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 9 |
Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 |
May 22 |
7:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 10 |
Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 |
May 23 |
12:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
| 11* |
Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 |
May 23 |
4:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
If necessary*
Rawlings is the official ball sponsor of the MAAC.
Tickets to the 2026 MAAC Baseball Championship can be purchased visiting
maacsports.com/baseball.
For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Baseball Championship please visit
maacsports.com/baseball.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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