2019 NAIA Baseball Opening Round Host Sites Revealed

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA has released the list of host sites for the 11th annual NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. The 45-team event is scheduled for May 13-16 and features nine, five-team double elimination tournaments. Opening Round qualifiers and brackets will be announced Thursday, May 9, at 4:00 p.m. CDT on the NAIA Facebook page.

This year’s hosts are Cumberlands (Ky.), Faulkner (Ala.), Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), Georgia Gwinnett, LSU Shreveport (La.), Middle Georgia State, St. Thomas (Fla.), Visit Kingsport (Tenn.) and Westmont (Calif.).

Cumberlands, Faulkner, Georgia Gwinnett, and Visit Kingsport all hosted a 2018 opening round.

Visit Kingsport is hosting an opening round for the ninth time, which is the most among the 2019 sites.

Last season, three of the nine host teams won their respective opening round. Overall, hosts have won 40-of-90 all-time opening rounds. Among active NAIA members, Faulkner boasts the most opening round titles with seven – six of which came at the Eagles’ home stadium. Oklahoma City is second on that list with all six wins at Jim Wade Stadium.

The Opening Round site selection process takes into account geography, facilities, student-athlete experience and host qualification. In the event that a selected bid is tied directly to an institution, that school is guaranteed at least an at-large host berth. The application deadline for bids was April 1.

The nine opening round champions and World Series host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) make up the field for the 2019 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. The World Series, which is taking place at Harris Field for the 20th-consecutive season and 28th time overall, is scheduled to run from May 24 – 31.

For more information on the 2019 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series, click HERE.

Make sure to download the Experience NAIA Championship App for updated news and information for the 2019 NAIA Baseball Championships! Download the app HERE!

Host Facility Host City Event Title
Cumberlands (Ky.) Doyle Buhl Stadium Williamsburg, Ky. Williamsburg Bracket
Faulkner (Ala.) Harrison Field Montgomery, Ala. Montgomery Bracket
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) Carnes Field Henderson, Tenn. Henderson Bracket
Georgia Gwinnett Grizzly Baseball Complex Lawrenceville, Ga. Lawrenceville Bracket
LSU Shreveport (La.) Pilot Field Shreveport, La. Shreveport Bracket
Middle Georgia State Luther Williams Field Macon, Ga. Macon Bracket
St. Thomas (Fla.) Paul Demie Mainiere Field Miami Gardens, Fla. Miami Gardens Bracket
Visit Kingsport Hunter Wright Stadium Kingsport, Tenn. Kingsport Bracket
Westmont (Calif.) Russ Carr Field Santa Barbara, Calif. Santa Barbara Bracket