NCAA Regional at Hattiesburg, Miss. (Interstat) — seed Jacksonville State (47-14) faces seed Virginia (37-22) in an elimination game Sunday afternoon at the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

The Gamecocks won the first meeting between the teams Friday, 15-7. Jacksonville State needs one win to advance to the regional final. Virginia must win to stay alive.

First pitch is scheduled for evening at Pete Taylor Park. The temperature at game time is forecast to be in the range of 80 degrees.

Players to watch

Virginia center fielder AJ Gracia enters the game on a hot streak. He went 5 for 6 with five RBIs in the Cavaliers’ 15-11 win over Southern Mississippi on Saturday. Gracia is hitting .667 over his past three games, going 9 for 13 with six RBIs.

Jacksonville State first baseman Brady Thomas has been productive at the plate. He went 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the Gamecocks’ win over Virginia on Friday. Thomas is hitting .353 over his past five games, with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Recent results

Virginia is 4-6 in its past 10 games. The Cavaliers beat Duke 6-4 on May 20 but lost series at Louisville and Georgia Tech earlier in the month.

Jacksonville State is 7-3 in its past 10 games. The Gamecocks lost 8-6 to Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday but had won five of six before that.

Simulation

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Jacksonville State win.

What’s at stake

A win for Jacksonville State would put the Gamecocks into the regional final Sunday afternoon against the Southern Mississippi-Arkansas-Little Rock winner.

A win for Virginia would force a second game Sunday afternoon against the same opponent.

The Cavaliers have a deeper lineup but must slow down a Jacksonville State offense that scored 15 runs in Friday’s win. The Gamecocks have the statistical edge in power and pitching depth. The simulation favors Jacksonville State by one run in what projects as a high-scoring elimination game.

Gracia’s consistency at the top of the Virginia order gives the Cavaliers a chance. Thomas’ ability to drive in runs makes him the biggest threat in the Jacksonville State lineup.

The winner plays Sunday night. The loser goes home.