Baseball 2026 Season Preview
2/10/2026 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
MT PLEASANT, S.C. – College of Charleston baseball begins its 36th season with a slate of 31 home contests, including weekend series against versus Campbell, High Point, Rutgers and UNCW along with home midweek matchups with Air Force, Charleston Southern, Clemson, Georgia Southern, Presbyterian and USC Upstate.
Head coach Chad Holbrook enters his ninth season leading the baseball program, holding a 262-145 mark with the Cougars, good for a .644 winning percentage. Holbrook is 1-of-13 active Division I head baseball coaches with 450-plus career wins and .645-win percentage-or-better.
WHAT'S NEW:
WHO'S BACK:
NOTES TO KNOW:
The Cougars open the 2026 season with a four-game series against Rutgers, beginning on Friday, Feb. 13. First pitch from Patriots Point is slated for 4 p.m.
Single game tickets are now available for purchase by visiting cofcsports./tickets or by calling the Ticket Office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
Head coach Chad Holbrook enters his ninth season leading the baseball program, holding a 262-145 mark with the Cougars, good for a .644 winning percentage. Holbrook is 1-of-13 active Division I head baseball coaches with 450-plus career wins and .645-win percentage-or-better.
WHAT'S NEW:
- Charleston welcomes 20 newcomers to the roster, highlighted by transfers Carson Bryant, Reece Holbrook, Parker Sweeney and Will Tippett.
- CofC will have a new look defense in the grass, with all three positions graduating.
- The Cougars have faced five of its 2026 opponents six-or-fewer times in program history and are set to play Rutgers and Illinois for the first time. 2026 also features the first time Charleston plays multiple Big Ten programs in the same season.
- Holbrook has added two new members to the staff. 2018 CofC Hall of Famer Lee Curtis returns home as an assistant coach and Brennan Ramsey comes to the Holy City as an Assistant Director of Baseball Operations (Graduate Manager).
WHO'S BACK:
- Charleston returns 18 members from last year's squad, including 2025 All-CAA Second Teamer Alex Lyon, All-Rookie squad Landon Penfield and CAA Honorable Mentions Davis Aiken and Ethan Plyler.
- Catcher Dylan Johnson is also back for his graduate campaign. The backstop has appeared in all 114 games with the Cougars the last two years, starting in 111 of those contests. Johnson batted .296 with 18 doubles, seven homers and 49 RBI in 2025.
- In the bullpen, Aiken and Lyon headline the relief core. Lyon was named NCBWA Preseason All-America while both relievers earned spots on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
- Aiken enters the season third all-time in school history with 25 career saves and is the only Division I pitcher to record 10-plus saves in 2024 and 2025.
- Lyon collected 10 victories out of the bullpen in 31 ballgames last year and ranks third in school history with 78 career relief outings and 1.46 walks allowed per nine innings.
- Charleston returns just over half of the team's innings on the bump last season (254.2 of 507.1)
NOTES TO KNOW:
- Since the Holbrook era began in 2018, Charleston has the fourth-most victories amongst Division I programs in the state of South Carolina with 262 wins. Coastal Carolina leads the teams with 290 victories, followed by Clemson (289) and Wofford (279).
- CofC's 179 home wins in that span only trails Clemson (187).
The Cougars open the 2026 season with a four-game series against Rutgers, beginning on Friday, Feb. 13. First pitch from Patriots Point is slated for 4 p.m.
Single game tickets are now available for purchase by visiting cofcsports./tickets or by calling the Ticket Office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
Players Mentioned
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/ BaseballCharleston Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs. UNCW (2/9/26)
Tuesday, February 10
2026 Charleston Baseball Season Preview with Coach Chad Holbrook
Monday, February 09
Charleston Women's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs. UNCW (2/6/26)
Saturday, February 07
Charleston Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs. NC A&T (2/5/26)
Friday, February 06
