FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After a memory-filled 2025 Championship season, the Fairfield University Baseball team will look to create new memories as they officially open their season against national champion runners up Coastal Carolina for a three-game series that begins Friday at 4pm. The middle game of the series will be Saturday at 2pm with the series finale coming on Sunday at 1pm. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Stags are coming off an historic season with a program-record tying 39 wins that culminated with the school's second MAAC Championship and third NCAA Regional appearance.
The final of those 39 wins was the most exciting as
Nolan Colby launched a go-ahead solo homer in the top of the tenth in the MAAC Championship game over Rider.
Fairfield will return some of the key pieces from that championship squad which includes five starting position players. Highlighted among the returners is the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year
Matthew Bucciero after finished second in the conference with 15 homers and 67 RBI and also leading the team in: slugging percentage (.633), on-base percentage (.462), and stolen bases (21), all tops in his career.
He was named the MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player after tallying multiple hits in all three games and scoring the game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning in the championship game.
All-MAAC First Teamer
Luke Nomura will also return as one of the key lineup figures for the team and was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC squad this year. Nomura is coming off a breakout season, finishing second in the conference with 81 hits and 65 runs scored while placing third with 141 total bases. He recorded a career-high .332 batting average while also posting personal bests in: hits, runs, home runs (14), RBI (52), walks (47), doubles (16), on-base percentage (.443), slugging percentage (.578), and stolen bases (16).
Fairfield will also bring back starting bats in: centerfielder
TJ Schmalzle, catcher JP Kuzcik, and second baseman Colby.
The trio combined for 144 hits, 127 runs scored, 18 homers, and 107 RBI.
The Stags will also welcome in seven new position players including graduate transfers:
Luke Spencer,
Zach Stephenson, and
Dom Camera.
On the mound, the Stags return their ace of the pitching staff in All-MAAC First Teamer
Ben Alekson. The right-hander tied a single-season program record with nine wins while leading the MAAC in WHIP (1.12) while finishing second in ERA (3.34) and strikeouts (84). He was a three-time MAAC Pitcher of the Week and won nine-straight decisions. He was also awarded an All-Northeast Second Team nod.
Aside from Alekson, Fairfield will bring back eight pitchers who logged at least one inning last season.
Matthew Grabmann leads the list of returners coming off 22 appearances with six wins and 52.0 innings pitched.
The Stags will also increase their pitching depth with seven new pitchers including transfers:
Hunter Hoxie (Rutgers),
Joseph Chambers (Dartmouth),
Devin Wolff (UConn), and
Alex Frank (Hobart).
Coastal Carolina were the runners-up in the College World Series last season and enter this year ranked No. 6 in the DIBaseball.com poll. The 2026 Baseball America Preseason Player of the Year Cameron Flukey will start the year for the Chanticleers on Friday.
Fairfield will continue their month-long road trip with a visit to Davidson next weekend.
