ORLANDO – The Big 12 Conference has released its 2026 baseball league schedule, and UCF’s conference slate is set. The Black and Gold will take on 10 conference opponents totaling 30 games, hosting five of the series at John Euliano Park. The conference matchups include eight NCAA Tournament teams from the 2025 season including Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, and West Virginia.
The Knights will host Oklahoma State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Arizona State, and K-State. On the road, they will face off against TCU, West Virginia, Kansas, Utah, and Baylor.
UCF wrapped up the 2025 season with a 29-26 record overall and a 9-21 conference record. The Knights finished 13th in the Big 12 following their second season in the conference.
MARCH 13-15 – VS. OKLAHOMA STATE
The Black and Gold will kick off Big 12 play March 13-15 at John Euliano Park against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys finished their season with a 30-25 record, going 15-12 in conference play to finish seventh in the Big 12 standings. Historically, Oklahoma State is tied for the most Big 12 Tournament titles, winning four championships. OSU ended the 2025 season by earning its 12th consecutive selection to an NCAA Regional. The Cowboys were eliminated from the Athens Regional following a loss to Duke in the regional final.
MARCH 20-22 – AT TCU
Following the Knights’ home-opening Big 12 series, they will hit the road to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU March 20-22. The Black and Gold took two of three games against TCU last season. The Horned Frogs finished third in the Big 12, and fell just short of the conference championship after a loss to Arizona in extra innings. Tied with Oklahoma State for the most Big 12 Conference Tournament titles, TCU also comes in with four championship wins. TCU posted a 19-11 conference record and a 39-18 record overall. In the last 21 seasons, TCU has received an NCAA Tournament bid in 18 of them. The Horned Frogs were eliminated from the Corvallis Regional by host Oregon State.
MARCH 27-29 – VS. ARIZONA
After the trip to Fort Worth, the Knights will take on reigning Big 12 Tournament Champions in the Arizona Wildcats for the first time in program history March 27-29. The inaugural meeting between the two teams will take place at John Euliano Park. The Wildcats finished fourth in the Big 12 regular season after posting an overall record of 44-21 and a conference record of 18-12. Arizona made an impressive postseason run, winning the Big 12 Tournament, advancing through both its regional and super regional rounds before reaching the College World Series. Arizona has reached the College World Series 19 times, winning four national championships.
APRIL 3-5 – AT WEST VIRGINIA
April 3-5, UCF will go back on the road to Morgantown, West Virginia, to face off against the Mountaineers. West Virginia finished the 2025 season with a 44-16 record, posting a 19-9 conference record to win the Big 12 regular season title. The 2025 season marked a program-best win total for WVU. The Mountaineers reached the semifinal of the Big 12 Conference Tournament where they fell to Arizona who went on to win it all. The Mountaineers advanced from the NCAA Clemson Regional making their way to the Baton Rouge Super Regional where they were eliminated by the 2025 national champion LSU Tigers. Last season marked the Mountaineers’ third consecutive NCAA regional selection and first super regional berth since 1960.
APRIL 10-12 – AT KANSAS
The Black and Gold will be on the road again heading to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Jayhawks April 10-12. Kansas finished second in the Big 12 regular season and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Jayhawks wrapped up the season with a 43-17 overall record, going 20-10 in conference play. For the first time since 2014, KU earned a spot in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Their season ended there, where they were eliminated from the tournament by North Dakota State. Other successes in the 2025 season for the Jayhawks included tying the program record for wins in a season with 43 and a school record for conference wins with 20.
APRIL 17-19 – VS. CINCINNATI
After the trip, UCF will return home April 17-19 to face Cincinnati. The Bearcats posted a 33-26 record, with a 16-14 record in the Big 12 to finish in eighth place. Cincinnati was eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament by the regular-season conference champion West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bearcats earned their first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1974, where they played in the Knoxville Regional. Cincinnati’s season ended in Knoxville where they were eliminated from the tournament in the regional final by the host Volunteers.
APRIL 24-26 – AT UTAH
Following the face-off against Cincinnati, the Knights will take their first trip to Salt Lake City to face Utah April 24-26. The Utes will be playing their first season at Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark, their new on-campus stadium. Utah wrapped up the 2025 campaign with an 8-22 record in conference and a 21-29 record overall. The Utes finished 14th in the Big 12 a season ago.
MAY 1-3 – VS. ARIZONA STATE
The first meeting between the Knights and the Sun Devils will take place at John Euliano Park, May 1-3, when Arizona State makes the trip to Orlando. The 35-22 Sun Devils finished fifth in the Big 12 going 18-12 in conference last year. ASU was eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament but went on to continue its postseason run in the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils played in the Los Angeles Regional, where they were eliminated by UCLA. ASU has a rich program history that includes 22 College World Series appearances and five national championships.
MAY 8-10 – AT BAYLOR
After facing Arizona State, UCF will head to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor May 8-10. The Bears finished 10th in the Big 12 last year earning a spot in the conference tournament with their 13-17 record. Baylor had an overall record of 33-22. Their postseason run ended in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament where they were eliminated by Oklahoma State.
MAY 14-16 – VS. KANSAS STATE
To wrap up the 2026 conference slate, the Black and Gold will face off against Kansas State at home May 14-16. The Wildcats finished their season 17-13 in the Big 12, and 32-36 overall. This put Kansas State in the sixth spot of the Big 12 standings sending them onto the conference tournament. The Wildcats were eliminated in the first round of the tournament, but their postseason run did not stop there. The team earned its first back-to-back NCAA Tournament selection since 2010-2011 and their sixth selection in program history. Playing in the Austin Regional, they were eliminated by the Texas Longhorns.
The Big 12 Conference Tournament presented by Allstate will be moving to Surprise, Arizona, in 2026 to be held at Surprise Stadium. The tournament had previously taken part at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Surprise Stadium is the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. The 2026 Big 12 Tournament will showcase the top 12 teams in the conference and will run May 20-23.
Each Big 12 team will play 30 conference games against 10 league opponents. During the 2026 regular season, the Knights are not scheduled to face BYU, Houston, or Texas Tech.
UCF’s complete 2026 schedule is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.
