2026 North Alabama Lions baseball team

2026 North Alabama Lions baseball
2026 North Alabama Lions baseball
Conference	Atlantic Sun Conference
Record	– (– ASUN)
Head coach	Jad Prachniak (4th season);
Assistant coaches	Nick Patton (4th season); Jacob James (1st season);
Home stadium	Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium

2026 ASUN Conference baseball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Gold
Austin Peay ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Bellarmine ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Central Arkansas ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Eastern Kentucky ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Lipscomb ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
North Alabama ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Graphite
Florida Gulf Coast ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Jacksonville ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
North Florida ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Queens ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
Stetson ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
West Georgia* ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	0	–	0	–
* Ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of November 12, 2025^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 North Alabama Lions baseball team represent the University of North Alabama during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. They are led by head coach Jad Prachniak, in his 4th season at UNA. The Lions played their home games at Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium as a members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

This is the Lions' first full season playing at Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium. The Lions played 21 games at the stadium in 2025 as the stadium was still under construction.^[2]^[3]

Previous season

The 2023 team finished the season with a 24–31 record and a 16–13 record in ASUN play. They finished 3rd in the Gold Division and advanced to the ASUN Tournament.^[4]^[5]

The ASUN Tournament marked the UNA baseball program's first postseason appearance at the Division I level. The tournament saw them lose to Jacksonville 1-5^[6] before beating North Florida 14-11.^[7] North Alabama was eliminated from the tournament after a second loss to Jacksonville.^[8]

Preseason

Coaches poll

The ASUN baseball coaches' poll was released on February 8, 2024.^[9]

ASUN Gold Division Preseason Coaches' Poll
Predicted finish	Team	Points
1	Austin Peay	34 (4)
2	Lipscomb	28
3	North Alabama	23 (1)
4	Central Arkansas	18 (1)
5	Eastern Kentucky	15
6	Bellarmine	8

Personnel

2026 North Alabama Lions roster

Pitchers

8 – Tripp Patterson – Sophomore
11 – Jordan Touhey – Freshman
15 – Landon Scruggs – Senior
16 – Reese Young – Sophomore
18 – Hunter Bell – Senior
19 – Kelly Crumpton – Senior
21 – Justus Agosto – Senior
22 – Kevin Henrich – Junior
27 – Luke Davenport – Sophomore
28 – Nico Varlotta – Freshman
29 – Justin Battle – Senior
30 – John Allen Stogner – Graduate
31 – Tyler Rice – Graduate
32 – Carlos Carmona – Senior
33 – Josh Bowerman – Junior
43 – Sawyer Toney – Senior
48 – Gavin Oswald – Graduate
51 – Jake Boynar – Junior

Catchers

2 – Will Millard – Junior
10 – Charlie Cochran – Junior
26 – John Austin Wood – Freshman
44 – Wes Walker – Sophomore

Infielders

3 – Leighton Jenkins – Graduate
4 – Bryant Loving – Junior
5 – Dylan Coleman – Senior
9 – Ryker Billingsley – Senior
12 – Jackson Westmoreland – Junior
14 – Gio Lonero – Freshman
17 – Justin Santoyo – Graduate
37 – Ryan West – Senior
39 – Tyler LePage – Junior
40 – Petey Craska – Sophomore
45 – Ethan Moore – Junior

Outfielders

7 – Cayden Sheffield – Freshman
13 – Chandler Ketchup – Junior
20 – Jackson Cheek – Junior
22 – Tait Nunnally – Junior
25 – Alex Wade – Junior
34 – Nash Rippen – Senior

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at North Alabama	Alma mater
Jad Prachniak	Head Coach	4	University of Rhode Island (2005)
Nick Patten	Assistant Baseball Coach / Hitting Coach / Recruiting Coordinator	4	University of Delaware (2021)
J.D. Davis	Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator	1	The Citadel (2020)
Jacob James	Director of Pitching Development	1	University of North Alabama (2025)

Source:^[10]

Schedule and results

Legend
	North Alabama win
	North Alabama loss
	Postponement/Cancellation/Suspensions
Bold	North Alabama team member

2026 North Alabama Lions baseball game log

Regular season

February
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	ASUN record
February 13	SIUE		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+		0–0	0–0
February 14	SIUE		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
February 15	SIUE		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
February 17	UAB		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
February 18	Murray State		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
February 20	Saint Louis		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
February 21	Saint Louis		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
February 22	Saint Louis		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
February 24	Samford		Joe Lee Griffin Field Birmingham, AL	–
February 27	Southern Indiana		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
February 28	Southern Indiana		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–

March
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	ASUN record
March 1	Southern Indiana		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
March 4	Ole Miss		Swayze Field Oxford, MS	–
March 6	Southern Miss		Pete Taylor Park Hattiesburg, MS	–
March 7	Southern Miss		Pete Taylor Park Hattiesburg, MS	–
March 8	Southern Miss		Pete Taylor Park Hattiesburg, MS	–
March 10	Jacksonville State		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
March 13	Lipscomb		Dugan Field Nashville, TN	–
March 14	Lipscomb		Dugan Field Nashville, TN	–
March 15	Lipscomb		Dugan Field Nashville, TN	–
March 17	Tennessee Tech		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
March 20	Eastern Kentucky		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
March 21	Eastern Kentucky		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
March 22	Eastern Kentucky		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
March 27	Bellarmine		Knights Field Louisville, KY	–
March 28	Bellarmine		Knights Field Louisville, KY	–
March 29	Bellarmine		Knights Field Louisville, KY	–
March 31	UAB		Young Memorial Field Birmingham, AL	–

April
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	ASUN record
April 2	Central Arkansas		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
April 3	Central Arkansas		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
April 4	Central Arkansas		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
April 7	UT Martin		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
April 10	Austin Peay		Raymond C. Hand Park Clarksville, TN	–
April 11	Austin Peay		Raymond C. Hand Park Clarksville, TN	–
April 12	Austin Peay		Raymond C. Hand Park Clarksville, TN	–
April 14	UT Martin		Skyhawk Baseball Field Martin, TN	–
April 17	Lipscomb		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
April 18	Lipscomb		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
April 19	Lipscomb		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
April 22	Tennessee Tech		Bush Stadium Cookeville, TN	–
April 24	Eastern Kentucky		Earle Combs Stadium Richmond, KY	–
April 25	Eastern Kentucky		Earle Combs Stadium Richmond, KY	–
April 26	Eastern Kentucky		Earle Combs Stadium Richmond, KY	–

May
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	ASUN record
May 1	Bellarmine		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
May 2	Bellarmine		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–
May 3	Bellarmine		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
May 5	Samford		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
May 8	Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium Conway, AR	–
May 9	Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium Conway, AR	–
May 10	Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium Conway, AR	–
May 12	Murray State		Johnny Reagan Field Murray, KY	–
May 14	Austin Peay		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
May 15	Austin Peay		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+
May 16	Austin Peay		Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium Florence, AL	–				ESPN+

Source:^[11]

References

^ "2026 Baseball Standings". asunsports.org. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
^ "Prachniak announces 2026 baseball schedule". North Alabama Athletics. January 12, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ Glovach, David (April 16, 2025). "Move in day: After transient spring, UNA baseball gets its new-stadium experience". TimesDaily. Florence. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "2025 Baseball Schedule". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "2025 Baseball Standings". Atlantic Sun Conference. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "Lions fall 5-1 in opening game of ASUN tournament". North Alabama Athletics. May 20, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "Baseball earns program's first Division I postseason win, 14-11". North Alabama Athletics. May 21, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "Baseball falls in elimination game against Jacksonville, 3-2". North Alabama Athletics. May 23, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "ASUN reveals preseason baseball poll". North Alabama Athletics. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
^ "2026 Baseball Roster". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
^ "2026 Baseball Schedule". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[1] "2026 Baseball Standings". asunsports.org. Retrieved November 12, 2025.

[2] "Prachniak announces 2026 baseball schedule". North Alabama Athletics. January 12, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[3] Glovach, David (April 16, 2025). "Move in day: After transient spring, UNA baseball gets its new-stadium experience". TimesDaily. Florence. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[4] "2025 Baseball Schedule". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[5] "2025 Baseball Standings". Atlantic Sun Conference. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[6] "Lions fall 5-1 in opening game of ASUN tournament". North Alabama Athletics. May 20, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[7] "Baseball earns program's first Division I postseason win, 14-11". North Alabama Athletics. May 21, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[8] "Baseball falls in elimination game against Jacksonville, 3-2". North Alabama Athletics. May 23, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[9] "ASUN reveals preseason baseball poll". North Alabama Athletics. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

[10] "2026 Baseball Roster". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 10, 2026.

[11] "2026 Baseball Schedule". UNA Athletics. Retrieved February 7, 2026.

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