Baseball Journeys South to Georgia for NAIA Opening Round
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Talladega (AL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
|
(RV) Northwestern Ohio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
KANSAS CITY, MO - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 46-team field and groupings for the 2026 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. Ten different sites will host four or five-team double-elimination pods that will begin play May 11 and concluding with the Opening Round Championship on May 14. The winner of each site will advance to the 2026 Avista NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho on May 22-30. The 2026 field consists of 31 automatic qualifiers, awarded for conference regular season and tournament champions or runners-up, as well as 15 at-large selections.
Northwestern Ohio earned the first automatic bid from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) after claiming their third straight WHAC Regular Season Championship. The Racers boasted a 25-3 conference record and will head to the Lawrenceville Bracket, hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College, as the four-seed. The host Grizzlies will be the pod's top seed followed by two-seed Louisiana Christian, three-seed Marian, and five-seed Talladega.
The opening game of the tournament will see UNOH square off with the Tornadoes of Talladega for the first time since the program's inaugural season in 2011. That game will take place at 11:00 AM EST followed by the Wildcats and Knights at 3:00 PM. The winner of game one will advance to face Georgia Gwinnett in game three of the first day scheduled for 7:00 PM.
All opening round games at Georgia Gwinnett can be watched live here: Lawrenceville Bracket Stream
For ticket information, photos, and full tournament schedule check out the GGC Tournament Central Page below.
>>NAIA Opening Round Central<<
Team Resumes
#3 Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies (46-6)
Automatic Qualifier: Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Champion
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 5-1
Vs. Opening Round Qualifiers: 10-3
12th Appearance
Opening Round Record: 35-11
Opening Round Titles: 8
At-Large Qualifier: Crossroads League
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 5-10
Vs. Opening Round Qualifiers: 12-13
4th Appearance
Opening Round Record: 1-6
Opening Round Titles: 0
#24 Louisiana Christian Wildcats (35-13)
At-Large Qualifier: Red River Athletic Conference
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 7-3
Vs. Opening Round Qualifiers: 9-8
3rd Appearance
Opening Round Record: 2-4
Opening Round Titles: 0
(RV) Northwestern Ohio Racers (36-16)
Automatic Qualifier: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 4-5
Vs. Opening Round Qualifiers: 6-9
8th Appearance
Opening Round Record: 10-12
Opening Round Titles: 1
Automatic Qualifier: HBCU Athletic Conference Tournament Champion
Vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-4
Vs. Opening Round Qualifiers: 3-9
5th Appearance
Opening Round Record: 2-8
Opening Round Titles: 0
