Cary hosts NCAA Division II World Series, Central Missouri opens May 29

Cary is set to become the center of NCAA Division II baseball again as the championship finals run May 29 through June 6 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Thomas Brooks Park. The opening-day matchup sends No. 4 Central Missouri against No. 5 UT Tyler at 1:30 p.m. ET, with No. 1 West Chester meeting No. 8 UIndy at 6 p.m.; the next day brings No. 3 Catawba against No. 6 Point Loma and No. 2 Tampa against No. 7 Bentley.

The eight-team double-elimination bracket brings the final field to Wake County after a 56-team tournament that included 21 automatic qualifiers and 35 at-large bids. Tickets are available through the venue’s official ticketing partner, and Cary’s calendar lists the opening weekend games at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., a schedule that will keep the complex busy from the first pitch Friday through the title game Saturday, June 6.

For Cary, the tournament is more than a bracket line. Town officials say this is the 16th year Cary has hosted the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship with the University of Mount Olive and the NCAA, and the event has been staged at the USA Baseball National Training Complex since 2009. The complex opened in 2007 and sits in the 221-acre Thomas Brooks Park, where four MLB-standard fields, including a stadium field and three training fields, are now in use.

Coleman Field also enters the spotlight after a complete renovation, making the 2026 championship the first event held on the new surface. That matters for the tournament experience and for the steady flow of players, coaches, families and fans who will be moving through the park and into Cary’s hotels, restaurants and roads over nine days of games.

Central Missouri arrives with momentum and a long championship history. The Mules won the Central Regional, improved to 39-15, and claimed their third straight Central Region title and sixth regional crown under head coach Kyle Crookes, who is in his 12th season. Central Missouri has made 20 NCAA Division II national championship appearances, including four in the past six seasons, and last won the national title in 2003.

The event also fits Cary’s larger sports strategy. The town says it has hosted 38 NCAA National Championships since 2003 and has recently secured additional Division II baseball and NCAA soccer events for future years, keeping the USA Baseball complex on a national stage well beyond this week’s opening games.