2024 NAIA Baseball National Championship Qualifiers Revealed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and pairings for the 2024 NAIA Baseball National Championship. The 46-team field begins with the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, at 10 sites around the nation from May 13-16.
The 10 winning teams will advance to the 2024 Avista NAIA Softball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho hosted by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). The 67th annual event will run from May 24-31 at famous Harris Field.
This year’s championship field includes 30 automatic qualifiers, 15 at-large selections, and one host berth allocation. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, or regular-season championship or finished runner-up at the conference tournament or regular season as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Baseball National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each Area Rating Committee (ARC), a representative from the National Administrative Council, an officer of the NAIA Baseball Coaches Association, and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
All championship opening round games will be video-streamed by the host.
Qualifier Highlights
- Eight teams in the 2024 field have won a Red Banner, led by 19 from Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), three from Southeastern (Fla.) and two from Tennessee Wesleyan
- Ten teams are making their first appearance in the NAIA Baseball Opening Round this year: Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.), Bushnell (Ore.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Louisiana Christian, Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Milligan (Tenn.), Mount Mercy (Iowa), OUAZ (Ariz.), Park (Mo.), and Saint Francis (Ind.)
- Six of the first time qualifiers will play each other in their first game of the Opening Round: Saint Francis (Ind.) vs. Park (Mo.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.) vs. Milligan (Tenn.), and Bushnell (Ore.) vs. Louisiana Christian
- Arizona Christian, Jessup (Claif.), and Talledega (Ala.) are all into the field for the first time since 2019
- 19 teams enter the next phase of the postseason with a winning streak, led by Talladega with 15, Georgia Gwinnett with 13, and Indiana Tech at 11
- The Golden State, Heart of America, and Southern States Conference are all tied for the lead with four teams in the field
- Five teams are the Eagles, four are the Warriors, and there are two each of Bulldogs, Cougars, and Pioneers
| Institution | Qualification Method | Season Record | Last Qualified | Appearances | Titles |
| Arizona Christian | At-Large | 33-19 | 2019 | 3 | – |
| Bellevue (Neb.) | NSAA Tournament Champion | 39-12 | 2023 | 14 | 1 |
| Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) | SSAC Tournament Runner-up | 31-21 | – | 1 | – |
| British Columbia | At-Large | 31-19 | 2023 | 14 | – |
| Bushnell (Ore.) | CCC Tournament Champion | 29-24 | – | 1 | – |
| Central Methodist (Mo.) | At-Large | 43-9 | 2023 | 5 | – |
| Columbia (Mo.) | At-Large | 37-14 | 2023 | 5 | – |
| Concordia (Neb.) | GPAC Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 41-13 | 2023 | 6 | – |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) | MSC Tournament Champion | 48-6 | 2023 | 7 | – |
| Doane (Neb.) | GPAC Tournament Runner-up | 38-13 | 2023 | 7 | – |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | Cal Pac Tournament Champion | 29-18 | – | 1 | – |
| Faulkner (Ala.) | At-Large | 35-15 | 2022 | 13 | 1 |
| Freed Hardeman (Tenn.) | At-Large | 30-18-1 | 2023 | 9 | – |
| Georgia Gwinnett | CAC Tournament Champion | 47-6 | 2023 | 10 | 1 |
| Hope International (Calif.) | At-Large | 37-14 | 2023 | 6 | – |
| Indiana Southeast | RSC Tournament Runner-Up | 32-18 | 2022 | 8 | – |
| Indiana Tech | WHAC Tournament Champion | 32-22 | 2021 | 10 | – |
| Jessup (Calif.) | GSAC Tournament Champion | 39-9 | 2019 | 3 | – |
| Kansas Wesleyan | KCAC Regular Season Champion | 45-10 | 2023 | 6 | – |
| Keiser (Fla.) | At-Large | 32-21 | 2022 | 4 | – |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | World Series Host Berth | 37-11 | 2023 | 3 | 19 |
| Louisiana Christian | RRAC Tournament Champion | 32-19 | – | 1 | – |
| Loyola (La.) | At-Large | 36-17 | 2022 | 3 | – |
| LSU-Shreveport (La.) | RRAC Regular Season Champion | 42-9 | 2023 | 15 | – |
| Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | Sooner Tournament Champion | 40-11 | – | 1 | – |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | At-Large | 34-18 | 2023 | 7 | – |
| Milligan (Tenn.) | At-Large | 33-20 | – | 1 | – |
| Missouri Baptist | AMC Tournament Champion | 39-10-1 | 2023 | 10 | – |
| Mount Mercy (Iowa) | Heart Tournament Champion | 32-20 | – | 1 | – |
| Northwestern Ohio | WHAC Regular Season | 36-15 | 2022 | 6 | – |
| Oklahoma City | At-Large | 35-16 | 2023 | 14 | 1 |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan | KCAC Tournament Champion | 35-18 | 2021 | 7 | – |
| OUAZ (Ariz.) | At-Large | 34-17 | – | 1 | – |
| Park (Mo.) | Heart Tournament Runner-Up | 35-17 | – | 1 | – |
| Point Park (Pa.) | RSC Tournament Champion | 41-13 | 2023 | 8 | – |
| Reinhardt (Ga.) | AAC Tournament Runner-Up | 38-16 | 2023 | 5 | – |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) | Crossroads League Tournament Runner-up | 37-17 | – | 1 | – |
| Science & Arts (Okla.) | At-Large | 34-16 | 2023 | 9 | – |
| Southeastern (Fla.) | The Sun Tournament Champion | 48-6 | 2023 | 9 | 3 |
| St. Francis (Ill.) | CCAC Tournament Champion | 29-19 | 2023 | 6 | – |
| Tabor (Kan.) | At-Large | 35-14 | 2022 | 8 | – |
| Talladega (Ala.) | GCAC Tournament Champion | 36-15 | 2019 | 5 | – |
| Taylor (Ind.) | Crossroads League Regular Season Champion | 41-14 | 2023 | 9 | – |
| Tennessee Wesleyan | AAC Tournament Champion | 37-16 | 2023 | 15 | 2 |
| Webber International (Fla.) | At-Large | 42-12 | 2023 | 6 | – |
| William Carey (Miss.) | SSAC Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 34-14 | 2023 | 10 | 1 |