Cougars Face Hofstra Pride in CAA Opening Round

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Fourth-seeded College of Charleston baseball begins the 2026 CAA Championship on Wednesday, May 20 against No. 5 seed Hofstra. First pitch from Brooks Field in Wilmington, North Carolina is set for noon with the game airing live on FloCollege.

The entire double-elimination championship features six teams and will be hosted by UNCW in Wilmington, N.C. at Brooks Field from May 20-23. Charleston will be making its 27th consecutive conference tournament appearance and is seeking its second CAA Championship.

FIRST PITCH:

College of Charleston baseball begins the 2026 CAA Championship with an opening round contest against the Hofstra Pride on Wednesday, May 20 at 12 p.m.
Charleston swept William & Mary in the final weekend of the regular season to secure second place in the CAA South Division and earn the No. 4 seed in the 2026 CAA Baseball Championship.
On Saturday, May 16, Redshirt senior Alex Lyon appeared in his 100th career game and set a new program record for the most appearances in CofC history.
Freshmen Nick Diaz, redshirt junior Braeden Smith and graduate Will Tippett all hit three-run homers in Saturday's win against the Tribe.
Diaz was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday, May 18 after hiiting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, a homer, five runs scored and seven RBI in Charleston's 3-1 week. The outfielder had multiple hits in three contests, highlighted by a 2-for-4 outing with a three-run homer and four RBI in a 12-2 win over William & Mary on Saturday.
Redshirt senior Ethan Plyler enters the week riding a 13-game hitting streak. During the stretch, the infielder is batting .509 (28-for-55) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, home run, 16 RBI and a .533 OBP. Plyler also has multiple hits nine of the ballgames, including six three-hit games.
Graduate Will Tippett enters the championship with an impressive .636 batting average over his last seven games. During the stretch, Tippett is 14-for-22 with 12 runs scored, five homers, 14 RBI, seven extra base hits and an OPS of 2.064.

CHARLESTON IN THE CAA CHAMPIONSHIP:

CofC has made a conference tournament for the 27th consecutive season and will be the No. 4 seed for the fourth time in the CAA Championship.
Charleston looks to win its second CAA Championship since joining the conference.
Charleston won the 2014 CAA Championship, winning all three games, including two victories over William & Mary.
The Cougars have made the championship game a total of three times at the CAA Championship.
As the No. 4 seed, Charleston is 8-6.

SERIES HISTORY:

CofC holds a 23-13 record against Hofstra. This season, the Cougars took two of three from the Pride at Patriots Point in the opening weekend of CAA play.
Charleston has plated double-digit runs in eight ballgames versus Hofstra.
Charleston holds a 2-0 record versus Hofstra in the CAA Championship, defeating the Pride 10-3 in 2018 and 8-7 in 2024.

FAN INFO:

All games of the CAA Baseball Championship will be streamed on FloCollege (FloSports.tv/caa)
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, go to the CAA Championship Central page at caasports.com/baseball or uncwsports.com.

UP NEXT:

With a win against Hofstra, CofC would move on in the winners bracket and take on either No. 1 Campbell or No. 2 Northeastern on Thursday.
A loss against the Pride would mean the Cougars would play in an elimination game on Thursday at 11 a.m. against the loser of No. 3 Monmouth and No. 6 UNCW.

For complete coverage of Charleston baseball, follow us X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nick Diaz

Alex Lyon

Ethan Plyler

Braeden Smith

Will Tippett

Footer

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Baseball versus No. 5 Hofstra on May 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM