With the growth of fall ball games in recent years, this time of year for college baseball has never been more exciting. Here are some of the fall ball matchups I am most excited to tune into and a few transfers to keep look out for.

Lamar at Texas: October 3rd

This match up is interesting for a number of reasons. Lamar went an impressive 40-17 last season and the Longhorns went an equally impressive 44-14. Both of these programs added a good amount of talent from the portal, and there is nothing like a marathon of an exhibition game to learn how your new team is going to mesh. Lamar and Texas are also both ranked in our Top 25 Portal Classes for this upcoming season, with Lamar checking in at #23 and Texas #15. On the Texas side of things I’m personally fired up to see what sort of monsters Max Weiner has been crafting in the Texas Pitching Lab, especially with transfers Haiden Leffew from Wake Forest and WKU transfer Cal Higgins. The Lamar pitching staff is coming off a huge season after setting a single season program record with 491 strikeouts in 2025. They’ve also added transfers Landon Grigg from ULM, Bradley transfer Travis Lutz and former Sam Houston pitcher Cam Diaz, who will be massive for the pitching staff. This will coincidentally be Lamar’s first official day of practice as well so it’ll certainly set the tone for a good fall for the Cardinals.

Mississippi State vs Florida State: October 18th

I personally love the growth of fall ball games now being held at minor league stadiums. It goes to show how much college baseball has grown, and the fact that fans are excited about seeing their team in October that they’ll drive hours to a different stadium to support them. The Blue Wahoos have been known to host college baseball games that draw a strong crowd and I’d expect this matchup to be no different. These two teams last played each other back in June during Regionals with Florida State eliminating the Bulldogs, however a lot has changed since then. Mississippi State picked up not only a new coaching staff from Virginia but also UVA transfers Aiden Teel, James Nunnallee and Tomas Valincius this portal season. Tyler Pitzer from South Carolina and Bryant transfer Drew Wyers are two new names fans will also want to get to know this fall. For the Seminoles, they returned a strong group while also picking up a top ranked transfer class in Duke transfer Gabe Nard, Trey Beard from FAU, and Oregon transfer Cole Stokes. With FSU being our 9th ranked portal class, there is a lot to be excited about for Noles fans heading into 2026.

FIU vs UCF: October 11th

Of all the fall ball games I want to attend this off-season, this is #1 on my list. FIU and UCF will be playing in Key West, which I think wins coolest fall ball location of the year. From UCF the Keys are about a 6-7 hour drive, and if I’m in charge of logistics I think a team cruise could really be the move here. Nothing says team bonding like taking on the swells of the high seas with your boys. UCF brought in the 24th ranked portal class for the 2026 season with key transfers such as Stetson transfer Landon Moran, Zak Skinner from Lamar, Roman Kimball from South Carolina and former Stetson pitcher Matthew Heyl. On the FIU side of things they really looked to reload their pitching staff this off-season and did just that, picking up Rhode Island transfer Jeremy Urena and Matthew DelVecchio from Niagara, who both have a ton of innings logged at the college level. This is such a cool experience for both teams and not to mention just a great opportunity to pick up some key lime pie.

Tulane at Ole Miss: October 18th

Year after year Tulane churns out a solid ball club. Maybe it’s the beignets they’re eating, or the fact that they pick up high quality players in the portal every year, whatever it is they’ve got it figured out down in New Orleans. The Green Wave checks in at #16 in our Top 25 Portal Classes, and for good reason. Liberty transfer Jack Frankel, Owen Geiss from Long Beach State, New Mexico transfer Tye Wood and former Tennessee Tech pitcher Jack Brafa all land in our Top 150 transfers. Ole Miss didn’t hit the portal too hard but did grab solid guys like Owen Kelly from Saint Louis, Murray State transfer Dom Decker, and Daniel Pacella from Illinois State. The energy at Swayze is always electric and it’s a great matchup in the fall to prepare you for the season. Both of these teams are loaded for 2026 and fans are in for a great afternoon of fall ball on the 18th.

Alabama at Clemson: October 25th

If there is anyone who does fall ball right, it’s the Clemson Tigers. The past few seasons Erik Bakich has worked to make the energy around his program fun and a whole event for fans. It’s what the sport needs and I love to see coaches lean into what fans want and really listen to them. The Tigers will be hosting the Tide later this month for not only a 12-inning game, but an entire Fan Fest. The Fall Ball Fan Fest includes food trucks, games, inflatables and more for fans of all ages. The night before the event they will have free batting practice where kids can wear costumes and meet players and coaches. And if that isn’t enough, the night before that the Tigers will be playing the Savannah Bananas. Clemson is doing it right when it comes to building momentum around their program. In terms of the portal they picked up a few key players in Ty Dalley from Mercer, LMU transfer Nate Savoie and former Vol pitcher Michael Sharman. Alabama grabbed nine players out of the portal, four of them in our Top 150 transfers. Former South Carolina pitcher Ashton Crowther, Justin Osterhouse from Purdue FW, Brennan Holt from South Alabama and Samford transfer Evan Steckmesser will be massive for the program. Both of these teams are also returning a ton of talent that will make for a great game and event for all fans in attendance.