Hofstra Opens 2026 Campaign At No. 4/6 Mississippi State

2/11/2026 6:08:00 PM | By: Len Skoros

Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra University baseball team makes its 2026 season debut Friday evening in the start of a three-game series at nationally-ranked Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and are No. 6 in the D1Baseball rankings. Friday's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Central, with the series continuing Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central.

All three games will be streamed live on the SEC+ Network. Live statistics will also be available. Links can be found on the baseball schedule page on GoHofstra.com.

Hofstra is coming off an 18-36 season in 2025.The Pride returns 21 players from that squad and welcomes 14 newcomers. Leading the returning position players are red-shirt senior outfielder Tyler Cox, junior shortstop Michael Brown and sophomore second baseman Tyler Castrataro. Cox hit .281 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 33 games before a season-ending injury. He also stole 14 bases. Brown batted .276 with 11 doubles and 34 RBIs, while Castrataro is the Pride's top returning home run leader after hitting eight as a freshman to go with a .274 average and 33 RBIs. The Pride pitching staff is bolstered by the return of Preseason All-CAA pick Carlos Martinez, who missed all of last season. The righty was a First Team All-CAA pick in 2024. Sean Hamilton, Jackson Bauer, and Christian Rasmussen will also look to fill out the rotation.

Several newcomers are in the mix for playing time as well led by first baseman Danny Corona, third baseman Gabriel Melara, outfielder JJ DeVito, and pitchers Nick Reese and Maddon McArthur to name a few.

Mississippi State was 36-23 last season and advanced to NCAA Regionals.This will mark the first meeting between the Pride and Bulldogs. The teams were scheduled to start the 2014 season in Starkville, but a winter storm kept Hofstra grounded in New York.

Martinez and Hamilton are slated to start games one and two of the series, while Rasmussen or Nick Reese will likely get the ball in game three.

Following the weekend series, Hofstra is scheduled to return home to host Iona on Feb. 20-22.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories