University of St. Thomas Athletics
Abilene Christian University
Baseball opens 2026 season at Abilene Christian
2/12/2026 9:30:00 AM | Baseball
Tommies set for four-game series against the Wildcats
ST. PAUL, MINN.- The St. Thomas baseball team is set to open the 2026 season in Abilene, Texas against Abilene Christian. The Tommies and Wildcats are scheduled to play four games between Feb. 13-15 at Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark.
Be sure to follow along for live stats and radio through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/baseball/schedule – and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
History between the two squads
This series will be the first time in program history that these teams square off against one another.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The St. Thomas baseball team was selected to finish second (tied with Omaha) in the 2026 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday.
Oral Roberts was picked to finish first with 24 points and four first place votes, Omaha was also picked to finish second with 19 points and 2 first place votes. The reigning regular season champions St. Thomas was also picked to finish second with 19 points.
Senior duo of Joe Roder and Max Skilbeck were selected as the St. Thomas players to watch.
Roder, a senior infielder from New Prague, Minn., made 49 appearances and 48 starts, recorded a .303 batting average with a team high of 16 doubles and 53 RBI, along with five home run. Roder was named an All-Summit League honorable mention in 2025 after leading all Summit League players with 11 doubles and 35 RBI in league play.
Skilbeck, a right-handed pitcher out of Minneapolis, Minn., made 17 appearances out of the bullpen, fanning 36 in 25.1 innings of work. Skilbeck tallied a team high five saves in Summit League action.
A look back at 2025
Last season, St. Thomas won it's second consecutive Summit League championship in the D1-era. The Tommies finished the season 29-21 overall, and 21-9 in conference play, posting their best record of the D1-era.
Tommie baseball earned nine All-Summit League team honors. Returner Matthew Maulik was selected as a All-Summit League first team member, recording 30 hits, four doubles, and six home runs, earning him his second Summit League honor.
Tanner Recchio was also named to the All-Summit league second team for his impressive sophomore season; Recchio ranked in the top five in the league in stolen bases (20) and runs (28).
2026 Schedule
The Tommies schedule is jam packed with 56 games total games, 17 of which will be played at Koch Diamond. St. Thomas will open its home schedule with a three-game series against Omaha March 27-29.
Throughout February and March, the Tommies will play 25 games on the road, paying visits to Lindenwood, New Mexico, Kansas, Iowa, Northern Colorado, Air Force and Oral Roberts. St. Thomas will also play Minnesota in Minneapolis before before opening up the season at home March 27-29.
The month of April is highlighted by a home series against South Dakota State (April 10-12), Minnesota (April 14), and Northern Colorado (April 17-19). The Purple will also play Milwaukee (April 21), Northwestern (April 22), Omaha (April 24-26) and Minnesota (April 28) on the road to finish the month.
St. Thomas will wrap up the regular season in May by hosting Oral Roberts (May 1-3), traveling to Iowa (May 5) and SDSU (May 8-10) before ending the regular season at home against NDSU (May 14-16).
Following a June ruling, the Tommies are eligible for postseason play for the first time in the Division I era. St. Thomas will be hosting the 2026 Summit League Tournament at Siebert Field in Minneapolis.
2026 Roster
The Tommies welcomed 17 newcomers to the 2026 roster and return 24 letter winners from last season.
Leader of the pack
Head Coach Chris Olean enters his 17th season at the helm of the Tommie baseball program in 2026. Olean has totaled a 414-256-1 overall record (338-148-1 in NCAA Division III) since being named head coach prior to the 2010 season.
Olean is a three-time NCAA DIII Region Coach of the Year and closed out its DIII era by winning championships in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and region en route to a national runner-up finish and 37-10 record.
During the last 12 DIII seasons, the Purple won eight MIAC Championships, capped by third-place national finishes in both 2012 and 2014, in addition to the runner-up finish in 2021.
Olean mentored seven DIII All-American pitchers. He was voted MIAC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, and 2021. In addition, Olean works with the Tommie pitching staff, which was a perennial top-10 group in DIII baseball.
Follow Along
Any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas baseball team can be found at tommiesports.com and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
