Defending NECBL Champion Bats Announce 2026 Schedule
North Adams, MA — The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is excited to announce the launch of a new website for the home of the NECBL and the 2026 schedule.
The New England League will transition to PrestoSports as the new website provider that will coordinate the rosters, schedules, results and much more across the league in addition to providing a new statistics platform that will include more detailed information for in-game live statistics, box scores and archives.
As all the teams prepare for the 2026 season slate, the NECBL will kick off the action on Thursday, June 4th at 6:30 PM as the Sanford Mainers host the Upper Valley Nighthawks at Goodall park as part of a five game slate.
Opening night of the NECBL's 32nd season sees the 2025 Fay Vincent Sr. Cup Champion Keene Swamp Bats begin their quest for a repeat. They'll take on the Danbury Westerners at Alumni Field.
The 2025 runner up Martha's Vineyard Sharks open their season the following day as the Mystic Schooners come to town. First pitch from the Shark Tank will be at 7:05PM.
The regular season format is unchanged. The 13 teams are split into two divisions, North and South, and will play a 44 game schedule. The six teams in the North Division are the Keene Swamp Bats (NH), North Adams SteepleCats (MA), North Shore Navigators (MA), Sanford Mainers (ME), Upper Valley Nighthawks (VT), and Vermont Mountaineers (VT).
The South Division consists of seven teams: the Bristol Blues (CT), Danbury Westerners (CT), Martha's Vineyard Sharks (MA), Mystic Schooners (CT), Newport Gulls (RI), Ocean State Waves (RI), and the Valley Blue Sox (MA).
2026 ushers in a new playoff format for the NECBL. The bracket still consists of eight teams. However, the winners of the North and South Divisions will be guaranteed the top two seeds in the bracket, with the remaining playoff seeding decided by win percentage, regardless of division. All rounds will be best two of three games.
In their 25th season, the Sanford Mainers will host the 2026 NECBL All-Star game July 26 at Goodall Park in Sanford, ME. The NECBL's top talent will have an opportunity to show off their skills in front of Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts.
The 2025 postseason saw the Keene Swamp Bats go a perfect 6-0 en route to their sixth Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in team history. The run was capped off by an offensive explosion versus Martha's Vineyard, as the Swamp Bats totaled 29 runs across two NECBL championship series games, erasing multiple 7+ run deficits in the process, including a 10 run comeback in the final two innings of game one. The Swamp Bats and Sharks face off twice in the 2026 regular season, with the first contest on June 24 at Alumni Field in Keene, NH, and the second at the Shark Tank on July 20.
Inclusion Week
This year's Inclusion Week festivities will take place the week of July 5 and will be the third consecutive year teams have participated in the league-wide program designed to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities collaborating with community partners across New England.
During Inclusion Week last July, NECBL teams hosted a series of Inclusion Nights as Newport opened the week with on-field activities, community games, mascot appearances, and special jerseys, while also hosting inclusive pregame programming. Bristol featured a pregame scrimmage with a local adaptive team and offered a dedicated sensory-friendly space inside the ballpark. Sanford emphasized accessibility by providing free admission, visual aids, interpreters, quiet spaces, and a pregame ceremony honoring Special Olympics athletes. Keene partnered with local nonprofits for an interactive night that included an on-field parade, pregame recognition, and accessible entertainment. Vermont complemented its game-night celebration with community visits earlier in the week and capped things off with a first-pitch ceremony honoring individuals with disabilities.
How to Watch!
2026 NECBL games will stream on ESPN+ or the NECBL Network and the full broadcast schedule will be released in the coming months. Fans can follow the NECBL on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for gameday broadcast schedules and updates throughout the course of the 2026 season.
Rosters are filling up, and you can check out who is coming to play for your favorite team by heading to their team page at www.necbl.com. Make sure to follow these players all spring long as they compete for their colleges and tune up for their summer in the NECBL!
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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 240 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.