CHICAGO – For the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, the UIC baseball program secured sole possession of the 2026 MVC regular-season championship, earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament next Wednesday-Sunday (May 20-23) at Johnny Reagan Field at Taylor Family Park in Murray, Ky.
"Super proud of our team," head coach
Sean McDermott said. "We've got a great culture, we've got great teammates, and we have positive coaching. It's a culmination of good ups and downs along with so many cool storylines along the way as well. I am just proud of our guys … to win the regular season carries more weight for us old coaches, keep in mind it's something you did over the course of time. We, of course, want to refocus and get to the tournament, but winning that regular season means something … it's pretty awesome."
UIC (24-27-1, 16-8 MVC) entered the month of April catching fire, collecting MVC series sweeps over Murray State and Valparaiso, and series wins at home against Illinois State and on the road at Evansville. The Flames ultimately finished conference play with series victories against six different conference opponents.
Entering the weekend tied with Indiana State for first place in the MVC standings, the Flames secured the conference title with a series win over Bradley during this last weekend of conference play.
Midway through Saturday's game, McDermott recalled the moment UIC fans at Bradley's Dozer Park in Peoria, Ill., began celebrating the clinching of the regular season title as he was heading back to the dugout after coaching third base in between innings.
"I really didn't put two-and-two together," McDermott said with a smile. "I got to the dugout, and somebody said, 'We did it, we did it! Belmont beat them!' Everyone was excited and hugging, but then you still had a game to play."
This is UIC's first regular season title since joining the Valley in July 2022, and their first regular season title since the Flames were a part of the Horizon League in 2017.
The No. 1 seed is also the highest seed the Flames have gotten heading into the MVC Tournament. Earning a first-round bye for the second season in a row, the Flames will face off against the lowest remaining seed at 11 a.m. (CT) Thursday (May 21).
The tournament, presented by Credit Union 1, will be double-elimination and will stream live on ESPN+ throughout. Live stats will also be available for fans at
UICFlames.com. Fans interested in attending the games will have free admission.
2026 MVC Baseball Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 20
Game 1 | 11 a.m. CT – No. 4 Southern Illinois vs. No. 5 Evansville
Game 2 | 3 p.m. CT – No. 3 Murray State vs. No. 6 Illinois State
Game 3 | 7 p.m. CT* - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Thursday, May 21
Game 4 | 11 a.m. CT – No. 1 UIC vs. Winner No. 4/5
Game 5 | 3 p.m. CT – No. 2 Indiana State vs. Winner No. 3/6
Game 6 | 7 p.m. CT* - Loser Game 4/5 (low seed) vs. Winner Game 3
Friday, May 22
Game 7 | 11 a.m. CT – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 8 | 3 p.m. CT* – Loser Game 4/5 (high seed) vs. Winner Game 6
Game 9 | 7 p.m. CT* - Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7
Saturday, May 23
Game 10 | 3 p.m. CT – Championship Game (Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9)
Game 11 | 7 p.m. CT – Championship Game (if necessary)
Fans interested in more information are encouraged to head to UIC's
Championship Central page or the MVC's
Championship Central page.
For more information on UIC Athletics and UIC baseball, visit
UICFlames.com. Fans can also follow the Flames on social media through X (
@UIC_Baseball and
@UICFlames) and Instagram (
@uic_baseball and
@uicflames).
