CONWAY, S.C. – The Fairfield University Baseball team started the 2026 season with a bang as Luke Nomura and Matthew Bucciero hit back-to-back home runs off of Baseball America's Preseason Pitcher of the Year Cameron Flukey, but it was not enough as Coastal Carolina rallied for a 5-3 decision over the Stags. Ben Alekson kept the Stags in front through his four innings, not allowing a run against last season's National Championship Runners Up.
 
The Stags got their first two runs of the season in their first three batters. Nomura started the scoring with an opposite field home run followed by Bucciero clearing the center field wall for the second time in his last two career games.
 
Coastal Carolina's right-hander Flukey allowed only six home runs last season and was chosen as the National Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
 
Alekson kept that 2-0 advantage alive, finding his way out of jams in dominating fashion. The Chanticleers loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, but Alekson got back-to-back strikeouts followed by a pop out to the catcher to end the threat.
 
Alekson threw over 30 pitches in that opening frame, limiting the length of his outing but he would end his day in a dominating way by striking out four of his final six hitters.
 
Brendon Miller came in relief and threw a hitless fifth. Coastal's only runs came in the sixth as they took advantage of a pair of Fairfield errors to plate five unearned runs.
 
In his collegiate debut, Harrison Engle struck out three batters in the seventh and Alex Frank struck out a pair in the eighth in his Stags debut.
 
Jake Haarde provided the rest of the offense for the Stags with a RBI double in the seventh to cut the Fairfield deficit to 5-3.
 
The two teams will now play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 1pm.