Teams announced for the 'Desert Invitational' and 'Andre Dawson Classic,' MLB-hosted collegiate baseball tournaments

By | 12:16 PM EST

Annual Round-Robin Style Tournaments Will Each Host Eight Division-I Teams in Arizona and Florida in February

MLB Network to Air Five LIVE Matchups Across Both Tournaments; All Games Will Stream on MLB.com

Major League Baseball today announced the teams that will compete in the 2026 MLB Desert Invitational and the Andre Dawson Classic. Each collegiate baseball tournament will feature eight Division-I universities and will be held in February to celebrate the nationwide start of the college baseball season.

First-time teams participating in the MLB Desert Invitational include Pennsylvania State University, Northeastern University, University of Iowa and U.S. Air Force Academy. Grand Canyon University will make their fourth appearance at the Invitational, while Kansas State University, University of Connecticut and University of Nebraska will make their second appearances. MLB’s annual Arizona-based tournament will be hosted February 13th-16th throughout the Greater Phoenix area across five locations – (1) Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, (2) Sloan Park, (3) Grand Canyon University, (4) Goodyear Ballpark and (5) Scottsdale Stadium.

Now in its 18th year, the Andre Dawson Classic serves as MLB’s annual collegiate baseball tournament highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs. The Classic features seven returning teams, led by Southern University who have participated every year of the Classic. Joining Southern University will be Alabama State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Florida A&M University, Grambling State University, Jackson State University and Texas Southern University. Yale University will make their first appearance in the Classic, marking the first time an Ivy League school has participated. Members of the MLB Voices will participate on the broadcast during the Andre Dawson Classic. The Classic continues to feature Nike RBI and MLB Youth Academy alumni and will be hosted the following weekend, February 20th-22nd at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida.

Both tournaments will take place in a round-robin format, and all games will stream live on MLB.com, while MLB Network will exclusively air three matchups from the Desert Invitational and two from the Andre Dawson Classic.

The Desert Invitational and the Andre Dawson Classic will feature some of the most outstanding baseball programs in the nation. The participating teams and game schedules include the following:

Desert Invitational:

The full schedule (all times MST) for the 2026 Desert Invitational tournament can be found here (dates, times and matchups are subject to change):

Andre Dawson Classic:

The full schedule (all times EST) for the 2026 Andre Dawson Classic tournament can be found here (dates, times and matchups are subject to change):

Historically, the MLB Desert Invitational has featured 2024 National Champion University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, Texas Christian University, California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo), San Diego State University, University of Virginia, California State University (Fullerton), Michigan State University and the University of Arizona, among others. MLB Develops alumni participating in the tournament include Grand Canyon University’s Troy Sanders, Kansas State University’s Donte Lewis and University of Nebraska’s Jeter Worthley. Tickets for the 2026 Desert invitational are currently available at https://brushfire.com/mlbdesertinvitational. Children 5 and under are free.

Other HBCUs previously participating in the Andre Dawson Classic include Alcorn State University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Prairie View A&M University and North Carolina A&T University, among others. The Classic will feature over 30 MLB Develops alumni, including over 10 former Nike RBI athletes. Single-day and Tournament ticket packages for the Andre Dawson Classic are available now at www.mlb.com/robinson-training-complex.

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