The 2026 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team represent the University of California, Irvine during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Anteaters will play their home games at Cicerone Field as a member of the Big West Conference. They are led by head coach Ben Orloff in his eighth season as manager. The top five teams in the Big West Conference will play in the conference's postseason tournament, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA tournament. It was announced on January 9, 2026, that head coach Ben Orloff signed a 5-year contract extension, keeping him with the team until the end of the 2030 season.
Last season, UC Irvine finished with a 43âÂÂ17 record, going 24âÂÂ6 in the Big West, and finishing first in the conference. They fell in the conference championship in back-to-back games against Cal Poly. They received an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, along with conference tournament champion Cal Poly. The Anteaters went 2âÂÂ2 in NCAA tournament play, falling to UCLA in the regional finals 5âÂÂ8. UC Irvine finished the season ranked 25th in the nation by D1Baseball.com and 23rd by the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Big West Coaches' Poll and Team was released on February 6, 2026. UC Irvine was predicted to finish third in the conference, and had two players make the preseason team.
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