BRONX – The Monroe University – Bronx baseball team will open the 2026 season with three games against Caldwell Community & Technical Institute this weekend. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and then a single game on Sunday at noon. All games will take place at the updated location of Durham Field in Hickory, North Carolina.

Fans can follow all three game this weekend via live stats at MonroeExpress.com/Coverage. 

Both the Express and Cobras are receiving votes in the NJCAA Division III Baseball Preseason Rankings which can be seen here.

Monroe – Bronx looks to build its success from last year as the Express won 30 games and made it all the way to the final game of the Region 15 Championship Round in 2025. It marked the fourth consecutive regional title appearance for the Blue and Gold. 

It will be a young team for Monroe this year. Out of 37 players on this year's roster, 14 players are returners, highlighted by All-Region first-team selections Robert Herrera and Pablo Aquino, as well as All-Region second-team honoree Brylyn Mateo. There will be 23 players who will be competing in their first season with Monroe, including pitcher Colin Delaney Jr. who is expected to anchor the pitching staff. 

Bryan Diaz, who played for Monroe during the 2019 season, will return for his third year as head coach for his alma mater. He will be assisted by Associate Head Coach Luis Lopez, Assistant/Pitching Coach Tyler Cadena, Assistant Coach Frank Ballar, and Head Development Coach Richard Corbo. 

The full 2026 Monroe – Bronx baseball roster can be seen here. 

"Our goals for this year are to get back to the Region 15 Championship game, hopefully have a different outcome, and keep building from there," Coach Diaz said.

Fans can check out the full preseason interview by Coach Diaz at this link. Fans can also check out what Herrera, Delaney Jr., and Mateo had to say regarding this upcoming season by clicking on Threads.com/MonroeExpress.

It will be a challenging schedule for Monroe. Not only will the Express compete in a tough Region 15 slate, but they will also have four games against nationally ranked opponents. Plenty of contests will be against national powerhouses as well as NJCAA Division II teams. Monroe will play 18 games against regional opponents, with three occurring against each of the six region rivals.  

The Express' first six games will be on the road but then the Blue and Gold will open Region 15 play on Tuesday, March 3, against nationally ranked No. 11 and the defending Region 15 Champion Suffolk County Community College. The rematch of the 2025 regional championship round will take place at Flowers Park in New Rochelle, N.Y. with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Monroe – Bronx will close out the regular season on the road against nationally ranked No. 5 Brookdale Community College on Sunday, May 3, at MacLaughlin Field in Lincroft, N.J. 

The full 2026 Express baseball schedule can be viewed here.

Check out www.MonroeExpress.com, as well as our social media channels, for all the updates relating to the 2026 Express baseball season. 

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe University marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.

For more information about the Monroe Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).