The 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, May 19, at Truist Field in Charlotte. The ballpark is normally home to the Charlotte Knights, who are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The tournament will run through Sunday, May 24, which is the day of the ACC Tournament title game that begins at noon ET.
World Baseball Network previews the field of 16-teams in the 2026 ACC Tournament.
Quarterfinal-Byes, Georgia Tech and North Carolina enter with a shot at very high national seeds
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida State Seminoles, and Boston College Eagles were the top four teams in the regular season. Therefore, they receive a bye until the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
Georgia Tech earned the number one seed in the tournament after winning the 2026 ACC regular season title. The Yellow Jackets had a 45-9 overall record and a 25-5 ACC record.
Georgia Tech has a real chance to earn the number one overall national seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a solid showing in Charlotte. In D1 Baseball’s recent top 25 rankings, the Yellow Jackets are the number three team in the country. According to Warren Nolan, the Yellow Jackets are also number two in RPI.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, who are the number two seed in the ACC Tournament, are the number two team in the country in D1 Baseball’s rankings. They are within striking distance of a top-five national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Warren Nolan has North Carolina’s RPI at number five in the country.
Boston College’s rise to a top-four seed
The Boston College Eagles finished with their best ACC record in program history at 17-13. They also tied their program’s single regular-season win total at 36.
The Eagles earned a quarterfinal bye in the ACC Tournament as the number four seed. Despite having to play some games, Boston College has earned a spot in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It will be their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2023 and the fourth appearance this century.
Players to Watch in the 2026 ACC Tournament
Tague Davis, Louisville Cardinals 1B – Tague Davis is one of the best players in college baseball. The 2026 ACC Player of the Year has a .358 batting average, 34 home runs, and 96 RBIs. Davis will enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the frontrunners for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, which goes to college baseball’s best player. He would be the second Louisville player to ever win the award.
Wes Mendes, Florida State Seminoles LHP – Wes Mendes won the ACC’s Pitcher of the Year award after a huge season in Tallahassee. In 84 innings of work, he has a 2.68 ERA and 109 strikeouts. Mendes is in the top 15 in the country in strikeouts. Mendes enters the postseason as the most formidable ace in the ACC.
Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets C – Vahn Lackey is a big-time 2026 MLB Draft prospect playing the catcher position for Georgia Tech. According to MLB Pipeline, he is the third-best draft prospect behind UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky and Fort Worth Christian High School’s Grady Emerson. Lackey is the 2026 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, who is also formidable with his bat. He has a .402 batting average, 15 home runs, and 69 RBIs.
2026 ACC Tournament Schedule
All Times are ET
Tuesday, May 19 – First Round
Game One – Duke Blue Devils vs N.C. State Wolfpack – 9 a.m.
Game Two – California Golden Bears vs Stanford Cardinal – 1 p.m.
Game Three – Clemson Tigers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish – 5 p.m.
Game Four – Pittsburgh Panthers vs Louisville Cardinals – 9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20 – Second Round
Game Five – (Winner of Game One) vs Virginia Cavaliers – 9 a.m.
Game Six – (Winner of Game Two) vs Miami Hurricanes – 1 p.m.
Game Seven – (Winner of Game Three) vs Virginia Tech Hokies – 5 p.m.
Game Eight – (Winner of Game Four) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons – 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 21 – Quarterfinals
Game Nine – (Winner of Game Five) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – 3 p.m.
Game Ten – (Winner of Game Six) vs Boston College Eagles – 7 p.m.
Friday, May 22 – Quarterfinals
Game Eleven – (Winner of Game Seven) vs North Carolina Tar Heels – 3 p.m.
Game Twelve – (Winner of Game Eight) vs Florida State Seminoles – 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 23 – Semifinals
Game Thirteen – (Winner of Game Nine) vs (Winner of Game Ten) – 1 p.m.
Game Fourteen – (Winner of Game Eleven) vs (Winner of Game Twelve) – 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 – ACC Championship
(Winner of Game Thirteen) vs (Winner of Game Fourteen) – noon
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Florida State coach Mike Martin watches during an Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college baseball tournament championship game against Louisville in Durham, N.C., Sunday, May 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
