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 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**
.jpg?w=480 "MLB Re-Draft")
.jpg?w=600 "Swift-Kelce Marriage Rumors")
