WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. (Interstat) — The seed Fairfield Stags (27-21) open the 2026 MAAC Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon against seed Marist Red Foxes (21-28) at Dutchess Stadium.

Fairfield enters the tournament after taking two of three from Sacred Heart last weekend, capped by a 3-2 win Saturday. Right-hander Jack Sheldon tossed five scoreless innings in that victory, striking out five without allowing a hit. The junior has been effective against Marist this season, yielding one earned run over 3⅓ innings in a 12-7 win May 10.

Marist counterpunches with outfielder Chris Diaz, who homered in each game of a doubleheader sweep of Bryant on May 15 — going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI in a 3-2 win, and 1-for-2 with a homer and RBI in a 9-2 victory. Diaz is 4-for-9 with three homers and six RBIs in his last three games. However, he went 1-for-11 in the two head-to-head meetings at Fairfield earlier this month, including a 1-for-5, four-RBI performance in the 12-7 loss.

The teams split a three-game series May 8-10. Fairfield won the opener 4-0 behind strong pitching, Marist bounced back with a 4-3 win, and the Stags took the rubber game 12-7. Overall, Fairfield has won four of the last five meetings.

Marist closed the regular season on a two-game winning streak, taking both ends of a twinbill from Bryant. The Red Foxes also swept Albany and Sacred Heart earlier in May. Fairfield, meanwhile, won three of its final four, including a 15-6 rout of Sacred Heart and a 13-11 slugfest against New Haven.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT. The winner advances to face the top seed in the double-elimination tournament.