LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team will enter the 2026 season ranked in the top 10 nationally by three different baseball organizations.
 
The Moccasins were announced as No. 10 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Poll, and previously ranked No. 6 according to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and No. 8 according to D2 Baseball.
 
Florida Southern enters the new year with a new squad built on last season's success. The Mocs went 38-15-1 overall and hosted the NCAA DII South Region #2 bracket. In his first year with the Mocs, head coach O'Dette earned national recognition as the DII Coach of the Year by Perfect Game, leading FSC with eight All-Sunshine State Conference selections, two All-South Region award winners, and an All-American.
 
Rick O'Dette, head coach of the Mocs, built a busy schedule to test the team in the 2026 season, previously saying, "Our non-conference schedule will be amongst one of the toughest in the country, with three of our opponents appearing in either a super regional or the World Series in 2025." Just in February and March, the Mocs will face top 25 teams such as West Florida, Young Harris, and Northwood.
 
The Mocs will travel to Pensacola, Fla., for their season opener against the University of West Florida. The Argonauts rank inside the top 25 by the same baseball organizations. Due to weather, the three-game series has been adjusted with a doubleheader on Friday, Jan. 30, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, and a Sunday single game at 2 p.m. ET.