KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Indiana State gets a strong boost to its nonconference baseball schedule early next season.
The Sycamores will face College World Series qualifier West Virginia, NCAA regional qualifier Central Florida and Pittsburgh at the inaugural 2027 Orlando Baseball Classic Feb. 26-28 in Florida. The six-team round-robin tournament will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Stadium in Walt Disney World Resort, according to a Wednesday announcement by promoter bdG Sports.
Three teams at Orlando reached the NCAA Tournament last season. In addition to West Virginia and Central Florida, St. John’s reached the super-regional round in the 2026 season.
Also in the field are the Sycamores, runners-up in the Missouri Valley Conference last season with a 30-27 overall record, Michigan (34-24 overall and 17-13 in the Big Ten Conference last season) and Pitt (33-24, Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinalist).
ISU plays West Virginia on Friday, Feb. 26, then Pitt on Saturday, Feb. 27, and finally Central Florida on Sunday, Feb. 28.
“As NCAA baseball continues its impressive growth pattern, interest in early season, destination-location events have become highly sought after, and what better destination than Central Florida and the immaculate Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports,” Brooks Downing, founder and president of bdG Sports said in a news release.
The ESPN Stadium, with a capacity of 9,500 seats and another 2,000 on grass, opened in 1997 and was designed with Major League Baseball dimensions. For two decades, it served as the home to spring training for the Atlanta Braves, and has played host to minor-league teams, MLB regular-season games for the Tampa Bay Rays, the 2006 World Baseball Classic and the 2001 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament.
The Orlando Baseball Classic participant teams from Northern states get games against national level opponents in a warm-weather environment.
“We’re extremely grateful to BD Global for inviting Indiana State Baseball to be part of this outstanding tournament at Disney,” ISU coach Tracy Archuleta said in the release.
“Opportunities like this are special for our players, and it gives our team a chance to compete against great programs in an incredible setting. This is also a great opportunity for our fans, boosters and alumni to support Indiana State Baseball and the get the full Disney experience with their families. We’re honored to be invited and look forward to representing Indiana State and making this a memorable experience for our players, coaches, alumni, and fans.”
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