2026 C2C Baseball Tournament preview banner

2026 C2C Baseball Championship Preview

By Will DeBoer

5/7/2026 9:30:00 AM

The Rundown

The seventh-ranked and second-seeded Salisbury University baseball team will step into the box to chase its fifth Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) championship in six years and 20th conference title overall. The Sea Gulls will host third-seeded Christopher Newport in the 2026 C2C Tournament semifinals on Friday, May 8 inside Donnie Williams Stadium, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship.

?? #C2CBSB ?? SCHEDULE CHANGE: Due to forecasted inclement weather on Thursday, the C2C Baseball Championship semifinals will be moved to Friday and played at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting. The championship will remain on Saturday as originally scheduled. https://t.co/bsF4xReEVf pic.twitter.com/jwrVNNk1Y4
— Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (@C2CAthConf) May 4, 2026

Tournament Schedule

Friday, May 8
Semifinal #1 - #4 Regent at #1 Mary Washington, 3 p.m.
Semifinal #2 - #3 Christopher Newport at #2 Salisbury, 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 9
Championship at Best-Remaining Seed, TBD

Live Video

Live Stats

Tournament Homepage

Trent Waire Home Run Celebration, 3-16-26

The 2026 Sea Gulls

#4 Aidan Brinsfield | Jr. RHP | C2C Pitcher of the Year

#29 Nathan Tondreault | Fr. OF | C2C Player & Rookie of the Year

#22 Cole Williams | Jr. RHP | C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year

#2 Jackson Inman | So. 3B | All-C2C First Team

#24 Bryce Sterling | Sr. RHP | All-C2C Honorable Mention

#31 Jack Rucker | So. LHP | All-C2C Honorable Mention

Salisbury finished the regular season with a 30-9 record, going 2-2 in C2C play with splits against Mary Washington and Christopher Newport to earn the two-seed. SU has won 10 straight games dating back to a 6-3 victory over then-No. 5 Shenandoah on Apr. 13
SU began the season ranked No. 5 in the D3baseball.com national poll and enters the postseason at No. 9 in that poll. The Sea Gulls went 2-2 against teams currently ranked in the top 25, beating Denison and Shenandoah with losses to Lynchburg and Johns Hopkins.
The win against Denison in the D3 Showcase on Feb. 21 is still the top-ranked Big Red's only loss of the season.
The Sea Gulls are ranked No. 8 in the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI), which determines NCAA Tournament selections for non-AQ schools.
Thirteen of Salisbury's 30 wins came by 10 runs or more. SU scored 20 or more runs five times, including a pair of 30-run outbursts.
Outfielder Nathan Tondreault was named both C2C Player and Rookie of the Year, becoming the first conference player since Ryan Poff [York (Pa.)] in 2006 to sweep both honors. Tondreault becomes the sixth straight Sea Gull to win Player of the Year (Meekins, Caster, Sheeler, Kell, Winebrenner) and the third straight to win Rookie of the Year (Williams, Burroughs).
Right-hander Aidan Brinsfield was selected as C2C Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first Salisbury hurler since 2022 to take the league's top pitching prize.
Pitcher Cole Williams earned C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year laurels after boasting a 3.947 grade-point average as an Exercise Science major on the Physical Therapy track.
Six Sea Gulls were recognized on the All-C2C Teams:
First Team (4) - SP Aidan Brinsfield, RP Cole Williams, 3B Jackson Inman, OF Nathan Tondreault
Honorable Mention (2) - RPs Jack Rucker, Bryce Sterling
Aidan Brinsfield - 1st in Wins (8), 2nd in ERA (2.33), 2nd in K (63)
Mickey Haynes - 8th in SB (14)
Jackson Inman - 1st in RBI (50), 1st in SLG (.710), t-1st in HR (10), t-2nd in 3B (2), 4th in BA (.377), t-5th in 2B (12)
Jay Newton - 1st in 3B (3), 7th in SB (15)
Jack Rucker - t-3rd in Wins (6)
Ethan Ruiz - 5th in SB (22)
Bryce Sterling - 1st in SV (8)
Nathan Tondreault - 1st in OBP (.511), t-1st in HR (10), 2nd in BA (.407), 2nd in RBI (46), 2nd in SLG (.703), 4th in SB (22), 9th in 2B (11)
Tyler Villa - 3rd in K (59), 4th in ERA (3.08), t-5th in Wins (5)
Trent Waire - t-4th in RBI (37), t-7th in HR (4)
Cole Williams - 1st in ERA (1.13), t-3rd in Wins (6), t-7th in SV (1), 8th in K (35)
2nd in ERA (2.63)
2nd in Hits Allowed/9inn (6.58)
3rd in WHIP (1.15)
3rd in Sac Bunts (49)
5th in Shutouts (6)
15th in SB (126)
17th in HBP (101)
24th in Field% (.970)
26th in K:BB Ratio (2.18)
29th in Runs/Game (9.5)
31st in Runs (370)
32nd in OBP (.443)
33rd in DP Turned (34)
43rd in BB/9 (3.81)
52nd in HR (38)
53rd in SLG (.482)
58th in K/9 (8.3)
73rd in BB (199)
81st in 3B (12)
102nd in BA (.312)
Aidan Brinsfield
3rd in Starts (13)
10th in Wins (10)
18th in WHIP (0.97)
43rd in Hits Allowed/9inn (6.52)
51st in ERA (2.33)
Max Ehrhardt
26th in Sac Bunts (8)
Ethan Ruiz
8th in Sac Bunts (10)
14th in SAC/G (0.26)
Bryce Sterling
8th in SV (8)
Nathan Tondreault
117th in BA (.407)
Tyler Villa
121st in ERA (3.08)
Trent Waire
1st in Sac Bunts (16)
2nd in SAC/G (0.41)
Cole Williams
3rd in Hits Allowed/9inn (4.28)
4th in ERA (1.13)
8th in WHIP (0.88)
9th in App. (22)

Scouting Report

Christopher Newport went 24-14 in the regular season, including a 1-3 mark in in the Chesapeake Triad with a split against SU and two losses to UMW. CNU also beat Regent twice.
The Captains were ranked as high as 13th in the D3baseball.com poll and are currently receiving nine votes an an unranked team. They are also ranked 41st in the latest NPI, putting them in the bubble range.
CNU placed seven players on the All-C2C teams, including six First-Teamers and one Honorable Mention.
Salisbury split its season series with the Captains, falling 2-0 at home on Apr. 4 before taking a 2-1 decision in Newport News on Apr. 25.
Mary Washington went 25-11 in the regular season, including a 3-1 mark in the three-way Chesapeake battle with two wins over CNU and a spit with SU.
The Eagles are receiving 11 votes in the most recent D3baseball.com rankings and were slotted as high as 25th during the season. In the latest NPI, they sit 24th and in line for an at-large bid.
Head coach Kelly Swiney spearheaded a corps that repeated as C2C Coaching Staff of the Year. UMW also earned six All-C2C selections with four on the First Team and two Honorable Mention.
Salisbury split a pair with the Eagles, falling 7-2 in Fredericksburg on Mar. 28 and answering with an 11-1 seven-inning home dub on Apr. 18.
Regent posted an 18-22 mark for the regular season and went 3-2 against C2C teams in its first season in the league. RU swept a three-game series from Johnson & Wales-Charlotte and lost a pair to Christopher Newport.
The Royals are unranked in the NPI due to their probationary status as a Division III member.
RU placed two players on the All-C2C First Team with two Honorable Mentions for a total of four selections.
Should Salisbury face Regent on Saturday, it would be the first-ever meeting between the two sides.

What's At Stake

Due to the C2C only fielding five baseball teams, the winner of the C2C Tournament will not receive an automatic bid to into the NCAA Tournament. C2C member schools will need to finish high enough in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) to secure an at-large bid into the field.
The Division III selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 12 p.m. on NCAA.com.

The Rundown

Tournament Schedule

The 2026 Sea Gulls

Scouting Report

What's At Stake

Read More