MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Four Southern States Athletic Conference baseball teams re eived bids to the 2026 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. Abraham Baldwin, Faulkner, Loyola and William Carey will compete May 11-14 at campus locations to advance to the NAIA Baseball World Series May 22-30 in Lewiston, Idaho.
 
Each Opening Round will feature a double-elimination format, with six sites hosting five-team brackets and four sites hosting four-team brackets. When the dust settles, 10 teams will punch their ticket to historic Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, for the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series, beginning May 22, and continuing through May 30, until one team stands alone and is crowned a champion.
Opening round games across the nation will be broadcast for free on the Urban Edge Network (UEN), with all streams produced by the host institution.
Opening Round Schedule
 
Lakeland, Fla. Bracket
#1 Southeastern, #2 Milligan, #3 British Columbia, #4 Faulkner
 
Shreveport, La. Bracket
#1 LSU Shreveport, #2 Mid-America Christian, #3 Loyola, #4 Oklahoma Wesleyan, #5 Huston-Tillotson
 
Upland, Ind. Bracket
#1 Taylor, #2 Abraham Baldwin, #3 Indiana Tech, #4 Mount Mercy, #5 Shawnee State
 
Williamsburg, Ky. Bracket
#1 Cumberlands, #2 Missouri Baptist, #3 William Carey, #4 Bryan, #5 Central Baptist