JACKSONVILLE — Jax State baseball opens the 2026 season at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium with the program's first meeting against the Big XII's Cincinnati Bearcats. The three-game series between the Gamecocks and the Bearcats begins on Friday, February 13, at 4 p.m.
The story around the Gamecocks is the retention of nearly every eligible player on the 2025 roster. A little over two-thirds of the team's total production, both offensively and pitching, returns in 2026. This shows in Conference USA's preseason all-conference team, where the Gamecocks earned three spots on the list, more than all but Dallas Baptist, with Grayson Ashe (catcher), Steven Cash (starting pitcher), and Jackson Sleeper (relief pitcher) earning spots on the all-conference teams after their performances from a year ago.
Ashe also earned a spot in D1Baseball's Top 50 Catchers list, coming in at 21st, and was fifth among mid-major players in the rankings. Cooper Blauser was slotted at 22nd in the second baseman rankings, and was sixth among mid-major second basemen.
Opening weekend pits two teams who were some of the best in stealing bases in 2025. Jax State and Cincinnati stole a combined 257 bases last season. Cincinnati's leader in stolen bases (Landyn Vidourek, 39) was drafted by the Dodgers in the third round last year, while Jax State's leader (Blauser, 25) returns for the 2026 season.
Jax State turned a lot of heads last year during its run in the Conference USA Baseball Championship, where the Gamecocks won four games in four days, including back-to-back victories over top-seeded Dallas Baptist in the semifinals, to clinch a spot in the CUSA Championship game for the first time, and secure a spot in a conference tournament championship game for the first time since 2019.
Cincinnati arrives into Jim Case Stadium after posting a 33-26 record in 2025, a season that including a trip to the NCAA Regionals. The Bearcats opened the Knoxville Regional with a victory over second-seeded Wake Forest, before falling in back-to-back games against host Tennessee and Wake Forest to finish their 2025 campaign.
The series against Cincinnati is part of a season-opening nine-game homestand, which is the longest season-opening homestand for the Gamecocks since 2020. That year, Jax State opened with 12-straight home contests.
Jax State's rotation will consist of all southpaws on opening weekend. Returner Steven Cash will open things up on Friday night, with NC State transfer Eli Pillsbury taking the bump on Saturday, and Alabama transfer Beau Bryans starting on Sunday. Cincinnati will send out three rightys this weekend, with Nathan Taylor starting on Friday, North Dakota State transfer Logan Knight starting on Saturday, and Northern Illinois transfer Adam Brouwer starting on Sunday.
Saturday's game will not have an ESPN+ broadcast. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the game via radio or live stats.
