NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Begins Thursday

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. 

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 [e-mail]. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.

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