2026 College Station Regional: Bracket, Schedule, and How to Watch

The USC Trojans are returning to the NCAA Tournament, but their journey toward Omaha will start far away from home.

After narrowly missing the opportunity to host a regional, USC now shifts its focus to College Station, Texas, where the Trojans will compete as the No. 2 seed in a challenging regional hosted by No. 12 national seed Texas A&M.

USC wrapped up the regular season and Big Ten Tournament with an impressive 43-15 overall record, capping off one of the strongest campaigns the program has seen in decades. The Trojans seemed to be putting together a résumé worthy of hosting after posting a remarkable 32-1 record at Dedeaux Field. However, those hopes suffered a major setback when USC lost 7-5 to rival UCLA on a walk-off in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

Rather than bringing postseason baseball back to Los Angeles, Andy Stankiewicz’s squad will now head into SEC territory, facing another difficult test.

Joining USC in the College Station Regional are host Texas A&M, No. 3 seed Texas State, and No. 4 seed Lamar.

College Station Regional Schedule

Regional action gets Friday underway with two first-round contests.

Texas A&M will begin the regional against Lamar before USC faces Texas State later that evening. The regional uses the traditional double-elimination format, meaning a team must lose twice before being eliminated.

The winners from Friday’s matchups will meet Saturday night, while the losing teams will play earlier Saturday in an elimination game.

Friday, May 29

Game 1 — Texas A&M vs. Lamar | 2 p.m. PT | SEC Network
Game 2 — Texas State vs. USC | 6 p.m. PT | ESPN+

Saturday, May 30

Game 3 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | TBD
Game 4 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Elimination) | TBD

Sunday, May 31

Game 5 — Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (Elimination) | TBD
Game 6 — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 (Regional Final) | TBD

Monday, June 1

Game 7 — If necessary | TBD

How to Watch

Opening-round games will be broadcast on the SEC Network and ESPN+, while USC’s Friday matchup against Texas State will stream on ESPN+.

Bracket Breakdown

Although Texas A&M holds hosting duties, USC arrives in College Station with significant momentum and possibly even greater motivation.

The Trojans are making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2001-02 and enter postseason play following one of the best regular seasons in program history. Still, this group believes there is more left to accomplish.

Last season, USC advanced to the regional final before host Oregon State eliminated the Trojans after victories over St. Mary’s and TCU. Several players from that roster returned this season, determined to move past the regional weekend and make a deeper postseason push.

The biggest obstacle in the bracket remains Texas A&M.

The Aggies enter the tournament with a 39-14 record and secured the No. 12 national seed despite an early exit in the SEC Tournament. Olsen Field has already shown it can become a challenging postseason venue.

USC has not played Texas A&M since the 2024 Kubota College Baseball Series, when the Aggies defeated the Trojans 9-3. If both teams continue advancing through the winner’s bracket, another matchup could come with major postseason implications.

Meanwhile, Texas State enters with a 36-24 record and already has experience competing successfully against Texas A&M. The Bobcats split two regular-season meetings with the Aggies, losing once in College Station before responding with a victory in San Marcos. That familiarity adds even more importance to USC’s opening game Friday.

Then there is Lamar. The Cardinals bring a 34-25 record along with a conference championship into the regional. Lamar also faced Texas A&M earlier this season and suffered a 25-5 run-rule loss. Still, postseason baseball often unfolds differently than the regular season, and experienced mid-major teams can become dangerous opponents in a double-elimination format.

One of the most interesting aspects of this regional is its geography. Texas A&M, Texas State, and Lamar are all Texas-based teams familiar with the environment and conditions. USC enters as the lone outsider in a regional heavily connected to Texas baseball culture.

For the Trojans, though, that may simply present another opportunity.

Now, the Trojans head into hostile territory with a chance to prove its season still has far more to achieve.