The 2026 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team represent the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Gauchos will play their home games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium as a member of the Big West Conference. They are led by head coach Andrew Checketts in his fifteenth 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.
Last season, UC Santa Barbara finished with a 36âÂÂ18 record, going 16âÂÂ14 in the Big West, and finishing tied for fourth in the conference. They fell in the first round in an elimination game against Hawai'i, falling 2âÂÂ6. They did not receive an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, and finished the season unranked.
The Big West Coaches' Poll and Team was released on February 6, 2026. UC Santa Barbara was predicted to finish first in the conference, and had one player make the preseason team.
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