BRADENTON, Fla. - NCF Baseball will open its third season in program history and first under head coach Eric Skoglund by welcoming Saint Xavier (Ill.) to IMG Academy for a four-game opening weekend series.

The Mighty Banyans and Cougars will play single-games at the IMG Academy Stadium Friday and Sunday on will play a double-header Saturday at IMG Academy Baseball Field 4.

IMPORTANT LINKS

LIVESTREAM

TICKETS

SERIES INFORMATION 

Game Times: FRIDAY: 7 p.m, Saturday 2 & 5 P.M., Sunday: 11 a.m. 

Location: IMG Academy, 5650 Bollettieri Blvd, Bradenton, FL

Admission: Adults: $7, Ages 6-14: $5, Children, NCF Staff/Students: Free 

INSIDE THE SERIES (NCF vs. Saint Xavier)

Overall Record: (0-0-0)

At Home: (0-0-0)

On The Road: (0-0-0

OF NOTE

• The Mighty Banyans bring back several key returners from its 2025 team, including first basemen Patrick Fink, who hit a team-high 10 home runs last season, catcher Matthew Merk, who hit .307 with three home runs, and infielder Domenic Fernandez, who hit .271 and pitcher Corbin Gilmore, who ranked third on NCF's pitching staff in strikeouts.
• Skoglund, who served as NCF's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator the last two seasons, takes over for VP of Athletics Mariano Jimenez Jr., who led the Mighty Banyans in its first two seasons. Last season, NCF posted a 16-31 overall record and went 9-19 in Sun Conference play.
• Fink  and Vernon College (Texas) transfer sophomore right-handed pitcher Dalton Hill were highlighted by the Sun Conference as NCF's hitter and pitcher to watch for the 2026 season.
• Saint Xavier is coming off a 33-24 2025 campaign that resulted in a trip to the NAIA Tournament.

Up Next: Feb. 7-8 vs. Fort Lauderdale - IMG Academy