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Lawrence Price | krikya18.com | February 18, 2026

Four ranked baseball teams fall in first taste of midweek mayhem

College baseball Power 10 rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season

The first go-around of midweek matchups in college baseball has arrived, and it didn't disappoint, living up to its 'midweek mayhem' title. 

With 18 teams in D1Baseball's top 25 taking the field on Tuesday, a few of them left without a victory. That doesn't include the other crazy battles that took place.

Here are some of the biggest storylines and results from the day. 

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Charleston ends No. 6 Coastal Carolina's 18-game home win streak 

No. 6 Coastal Carolina’s Springs Brooks Stadium was one of the most ‘impenetrable fortresses’ in college baseball last season, as the Chanticleers lost just three times over 30 contests there in 2025.

That seemingly didn’t matter to Charleston on Tuesday, beating Coastal Carolina, 4-3, on the road. It snapped the Chants’ 18-game home win streak spanning back to last April.

The Cougars made a late comeback, scoring two runs in the eighth inning, to win it.

There wasn’t much Charleston couldn’t do in that frame. Coastal Carolina right-hander Darin Horn walked third baseman Ethan Plyler and gave up back-to-back singles to catcher Dylan Johnson and first baseman Braeden Smith to start the inning. 

Horn’s day was done after that, leading to the start of lefty Colby Richardson, but the Cougars still capitalized on the bases-loaded opportunity. Left fielder Payton Frehner’s groundout to shortstop scored a run, and designated hitter Jackson Berini’s sacrifice fly gave them the lead.

Sensing the victory in the distance, Charleston right-hander Kurt Rogers shredded through the Chanticleers’ offense to slam the door. He retired eight batters straight to end the game thanks to Smith’s outstretched glove on the final out.

Coastal Carolina will look to rebound this weekend, hosting the Baseball at the Beach tournament against Illinois and VCU.

MAJOR RECAP: Broken records and thrilling moments headline college baseball's opening weekend

Morehead State stuns No. 18 Kentucky for first ranked win since 2021 

Morehead State spoiled No. 18 Kentucky’s home opener, winning 8-6. It’s the program’s first ranked win since 2021 and victory over the Wildcats since 2014.

Both lineups went toe-to-toe in the early innings, scoring nine runs combined by the bottom of the fourth. The Eagles led 5-4, backed by third baseman Aubrey Kearns’ RBI single in the first and two-run blast in the third. 

Kentucky responded in the fifth through catcher Owen Jenkins two-RBI single to left, taking the lead, 6-5. However, similar to the earlier innings, Morehead State answered in the sixth with two more runs.

The Eagles led 7-6 heading into the seventh.

Morehead State added an insurance run in the ninth, but there was no need — the Wildcats’ bats went silent. They couldn’t string anything together following Jenkins' at-bat, striking out five times and never moving a run past first base.

Kentucky will head to Evansville this weekend for a three-game series.

Cincinnati shuts out No. 9 Auburn in statement road win

The Cincinnati Bearcats baseball stunned No. 9 Auburn Tigers baseball on the road Tuesday night, cruising to an 8–0 shutout and handed Auburn its first home loss to an unranked opponent since April 1, when it fell 4–2 to UAB.

Cincinnati wasted no time setting the tone, plating runs in each of the first two innings to take a 2–0 lead they would never surrender.

Auburn starter Andreas Alvarez turned in a strong outing despite the loss, striking out eight over four innings while allowing just one earned run. However, the Tigers’ offense failed to provide any run support against a Bearcats pitching staff that pieced together an efficient bullpen game. Dillon Schueler set the tone with four strikeouts across two innings to open the night, while Carson Marsh earned his second win of the season. Joel Piñeiro closed the door in the ninth to secure the shutout.

Designated hitter Enzo Infelise led the charge offensively, going 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the eighth inning to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 3–0. Christian Mitchell delivered the decisive blow in the ninth, ripping a two-RBI double to put the game out of reach.

Cincinnati will remain in Alabama and travel to Birmingham to face UAB on Thursday, Feb. 19.

Another top-10 shocker: UT Arlington outlasts TCU

UT Arlington baseball stunned No. 7 TCU on Tuesday night, securing an 11–8 win and handing the Horned Frogs a shocking early-season loss against an unranked opponent.

UTA came out hot, allowing TCU pitcher Nolan Johnson to squeeze out just a third of an inning before having to get pulled after the Mavericks got off to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Things didn't get much better when pitcher Tyler Phenow took over, forcing the Horned Frogs to enter the second inning down 9-0.

In the fourth inning, TCU outfielder Chase Brunson offered signs of hope after belting a two-run RBI double.

While the Horned Frogs made efforts to chip at the lead, ultimately scoring 8 runs, a two-run sixth inning all but sealed the game for the Mavericks.

The Horned Frogs will have the ultimate opportunity to redeem themselves on Friday as they face No.1 UCLA in Los Angeles.

in August 2024 as a Digital Editorial Intern. He has held numerous internships in the past few years, including ones at the Kansas City Star, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, TNT Sports and more. Additionally, he was a 2023 Oscar Pope Lift Every Voice Fellowship recipient. Price is a Spring 2024 graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. You can follow him on Twitter .

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.

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