Founded in 1975, Sunshine State Conference member institutions have won a total of 138 NCAA national championships across 15 sports and boast an NCAA Division II leading 89% Academic Success Rate. In 2025-26, the SSC marks its 50th anniversary, reflecting on a proud history of athletic and academic excellence.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA announced the field for the 2026 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Sunday evening, with two Sunshine State Conference programs earning selections to the 56-team national tournament.
The NCAA Division II Baseball Championship begins with 16 four-team regional sites contested in a double-elimination format from May 14-17. Regional winners will advance to Super Regionals, scheduled for May 21-23, with the eight remaining teams advancing to the NCAA Division II Championship Series in Cary, North Carolina, from May 29 through June 6. Of the 56 teams in the championship field, 21 are automatic qualifiers and 35 are at-large selections.
University of Tampa earned the conference’s automatic qualification after claiming its sixth consecutive Sunshine State Conference championship, while Rollins College and Nova Southeastern University secured at-large bids.
Tampa was selected as the No. 2 seed in the South Region and will serve as one of two regional hosts. The Spartans will host No. 3 Rollins College , No. 6 University of West Alabama, and No. 7 Trevecca Nazarene University for the opening round regional in Tampa, Florida, while No. 1 University of West Florida will host Edward Waters University, Delta State University, and Lee University.
Action begins Thursday, May 14, with Tampa facing Trevecca Nazarene at 1 p.m., followed by Rollins and West Alabama at 5 p.m.
Tampa enters the postseason making its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 40th overall. The Spartans own an NCAA Division II record 10 national championships and have advanced out of the South Region 21 times.
Rollins makes its first tournament appearance since 2023, when they finished as the national run-up, falling to Angelo State University. They have advanced out of the South three times, most recently in 2022 and 2023.
The Sunshine State Conference has long been recognized as one of Division II baseball’s premier conferences, claiming 21 national championships, eight national runner-up finishes, and 48 regional titles. Tampa and Florida Southern have led the conference’s national success, combining for 19 national championships with 10 and nine titles, respectively.
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