As the 2026 baseball season approaches, Francis Marion University is listed in several pre-season polls.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its 2026 Preseason Southeast Region poll this week and the Patriots were ranked fifth.

Two national polls were also recently released and FMU was among the other schools receiving votes in both the D2 Baseball preseason Top 25 poll and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) preseason Top 30 coaches poll.

Previously, FMU was picked to finish in a tie for first place in the Conference Carolinas preseason coaches poll. 

Junior first baseman Charlie Bussey III was named to the NCBWA preseason All-Southeast Region Team, his second preseason honor so far this month.

Francis Marion head coach Jeff Jefferson enters his second year at the helm after directing the program to a 40-13 overall record, which was a 22-win improvement from the previous year (the largest in Division II). The Patriots earned a share of the 2025 conference regular-season title and narrowly missed getting a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Patriots open their season with a three-game series against Concord University this weekend.  Weather has slightly altered the series, which will now consist of a doubleheader on Friday (Jan. 30) at 2 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium and a single game on Saturday (Jan. 31) at 1 p.m.