The New Orleans Privateers baseball team is introducing several changes for the 2026 season, including the first Maestri Classic and upgrades to their home field. The Maestri Classic will take place during the second weekend of the season and will feature Northern Kentucky, Alabama A&M, and ULM. The event is named after Ron Maestri, a former head coach and athletic director who led the Privateers to two College World Series appearances and 543 wins.
Head Coach Andrew Gipson expressed his enthusiasm for the new tournament. “I’m so excited we were able to get to put this together,” said Gipson. “Coach Maestri reminds me a lot of my former boss, Hill Denson. I’m excited we get to host that tournament and I really want us to play well but it’s also an exciting thing for the city. You’ve got Backyard Baseball, partnering with the Miracle League and with everything ahead it will be a fun weekend.”
Gipson also discussed his approach to scheduling tough non-conference opponents. “I love the challenge of playing against competition we have in midweeks. I like to stretch ourselves and figure out what we’re made of in terms of what our competitive character looks like. You get that opportunity week in and week out with the teams we play. Our midweeks are full of those types of games.”
The Privateers have replaced their all-natural grass infield with turf, joining other programs that have made similar upgrades. Only three teams in the Southland Conference—UTRGV, HCU, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi—continue to use all-grass fields.
“It was awesome. We had to finish fall ball early so they can get everything on time and it worked out about as perfectly as it could,” Gipson said about installing the new turf. “The headache of trying to figure out tarp pull goes out the window. It’s more comfortable to slide on and the hops are consistent. There’s been more of a buzz around practice and the turf is a game changer.”
New Orleans will compete in a 30-game Southland Conference schedule beginning in the third week of the season. The team has reached the championship game of the Southland Tournament three times since 2018.
Reflecting on conference play, Gipson noted: “The Southland is a good league. It was a decade ago we were upset that we didn’t get three teams in. There’s no easy games in the conference. Energy and consistent play win on Sunday. Everybody’s ready to go for Friday and Saturday is a swing game but Sunday, regardless of the outcome of the first two days it becomes a grind and I think the most consistent thinking teams do the most damage on Sundays and we’re preaching those things to our guys.”
The Privateers begin their season against Georgia State on February 13.
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