NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Begins Thursday

Devon Teeple

May 10, 2012

Thursday will mark the day 45 qualifying schools begin their journey to become the country’s best collegiate baseball team.

Last year the Concordia Eagles became the first team from the Golden State Athletic Conference to win the World Series.

The Eagles return to defend their crown as the top seed in the Marion Bracket. But they will face some serious competition in LSU Shreveport (La.) (48-4), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (44-10), Tennessee Wesleyan (45-11), Concordia (Calif.) (37-16), Oklahoma City (43-9), Lee (Tenn.) (50-8-1), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (40-16), Oklahoma Baptist (46-12) and Faulkner (Ala.) (49-11), all teams earning tops seeds in their respective brackets.

TOP NEWS

Of the 45 qualifying schools, 15 are making their first opening round appearance and 10 are playing in their fourth consecutive opening round; Lee, Oklahoma, Concordia and Oklahoma Baptist.

NAIA powerhouse and tournament host Lewis-Clark State (40-12) has 16 titles and will be looking to return to NAIA dominance.

All opening-round action can be followed here, and when the World Series begins visit their website for all news and updates.

Please find below all the opening round brackets, courtesy of the NAIA.

Paducah Bracket

Hosted by Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau - Paducah, Ky.

No. 1 LSU Shreveport (La.)

No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)

No. 3 Bellevue (Neb.)

No. 4 Peru State (Neb.)

No. 5 Grand View (Iowa)

Cleveland Bracket

Hosted by Lee University (Tenn.) - Cleveland, Tenn.

No. 1 Lee (Tenn.)

No. 2 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

No. 3 Missouri Baptist

No. 4 Avila (Mo.)

No. 5 Bacone (Okla.)

Oklahoma City Bracket

Hosted by Oklahoma City University - Oklahoma City, Okla.

No. 1 Oklahoma City

No. 2 Lubbock Christian (Texas)

No. 3 Sterling (Kan.)

No. 4 York (Neb.)

No. 5 Mount Marty (S.D.)

Azusa Bracket

Hosted by Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) - Azusa, Calif.

No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.)

No. 2 Shorter (Ga.)

No. 3 College of Idaho

No. 4 Arizona Christian

No. 5 Menlo (Calif.)

Hardeeville Bracket

Hosted by University of South Carolina Beaufort - Hardeeville, S.C.

No. 1 Faulkner (Ala.)

No. 2 St. Thomas (Fla.)

No. 3 South Carolina Beaufort

No. 4 Union (Tenn.)

No. 5 Asbury (Ky.)

Kingsport Bracket

Hosted by Appalachian Athletic Conference - Kingsport, Tenn.

            No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan

            No. 2 Georgetown (Ky.)

No. 3 Indiana Tech

No. 4 Campbellsville (Ky.)

No. 5 St. Francis (Ill.)

Hutchinson Bracket

Hosted by Tabor College (Kan.) - Hillsboro, Kan.

No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist

No. 2 Judson (Ill.)

No. 3 Rogers State (Okla.)

No. 4 Tabor (Kan.)

No. 5 Dakota State (S.D.)

Daytona Beach Bracket

Hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) - Daytona Beach, Fla.

No. 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.)

No. 2 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)

No. 3 Biola (Calif.)

No. 4 Southern Poly (Ga.)

No. 5 Siena Heights (Mich.)

Marion Bracket

Hosted by Mid-Central College Conference - Marion, Ind.

No. 1 Concordia (Calif.)

No. 2 Point Park (Pa.)

No. 3 Taylor (Ind.)

No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)

No. 5 Doane (Neb.)

Devon is the Founder and Executive Director of The GM's Perspective. He is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies. Currently, Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario Canada, and can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.

**Devon is available for hire or freelance opportunities**