Four Secure Space in Lewiston, as NAIA Baseball Opening Round Enters Championship Thursday
May 14, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four teams can start packing for Lewiston, as LSU Shreveport (La.), Webber International (Fla.), British Columbia, and Hope International (Calif.) closed out brackets in Shreveport, Lincoln, Hattiesburg, and Lewiston on day three of the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round.
How the Tickets Were Punched…
LSU Shreveport added on to history, in Shreveport, improving to 54-0 by beating Mid-America Christian (Okla.), 9-6, a game that saw the Pilots take control early before a six-run sixth inning from the Evangels made things interesting. LSU Shreveport broke the game open initially with five in the third, including a three-run home run by Ian Montiz. Another score in the fourth and three more in the fifth had LSUS in front 9-0, as Isaac Rhode got the win, in relief, and Brock Lucas picked up the save to send the Pilots to the Avista-NAIA World Series.
Moments after LSUS filed the first ticket to Harris Field, Webber International (Fla.) became the second team to earn its place in Idaho, leaving little doubt in an 11-1 win over Indiana Wesleyan, in Lincoln, Neb. The Warriors were behind momentarily, as IWU scored its only run in the first inning, but 11 unanswered runs later, Webber was in the World Series. Dalton Robinson covered seven innings for the Warriors, striking out four and scattering four hits to improve to 6-4 on the year.
In Hattiesburg, British Columbia looked like it might be in trouble through seven innings, trailing 4-3. But the Thunderbirds made good on an IU Southeast error to tie the game in the eighth, and in the 11th inning, a wild pitch broke the tie, followed by RBI singles from Trent Lenihan and Jaden Lamothe to secure UBC’s first trip to Lewiston since 2006. Lenihan finished the game 3-for-6, and the Thunderbirds took advantage of three Grenadier errors to go with a dozen hits in the win.
Hope International can get settled in Lewiston, as the defending national champion Royals won the Lewiston Opening Round, at Harris Field, earning a trip back to the same site in nine days. The Royals knocked out Wayland Baptist (Texas) and closed the Opening Round, 12-4, after the Pioneers ended host Lewis-Clark State’s season, earlier in the day. It’s the first time the Series sees back-to-back years without Lewis-Clark State since the 1997 and 1998 championships. For Hope International, it’s the Royals’ third appearance in the World Series, in search of back-to-back Red Banners.
Where we’re Still Playing, Thursday…
Six sites will play their brackets out Thursday, including in Kingsport, Tenn., where Columbia (Mo.) is in the drivers’ seat, but the Cougars have a tall order in Tennessee Wesleyan. One win and the Cougars are in, but a Bulldog win at 11 a.m. will force an if necessary game to follow. Tennessee Wesleyan lost to Columbia Wednesday, but in an elimination game, the Bulldogs won a wild one over Cumberland (Tenn.), 14-12. In that game, Cumberland looked in control, up 11-7 after four, but four players with three hits for Tennessee Wesleyan was enough to complete a comeback, keeping the Bulldogs alive.
In Lakeland, Fla., first-year NAIA member Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) won its third-straight game after dropping the first game of the tournament, avenging that earlier loss to Briar Cliff (Iowa) with a 9-5 win. In the night game, ABAC jumped out to an early lead but needed an eighth-inning run to break a 5-all tie, as Harrison Childers delivered a go-ahead single that proved to win the game, 6-5. ABAC will need two wins Thursday over Southeastern (Fla.), beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Keiser (Fla.) stunned the top seed in Lawrenceville, No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett, 7-4, earning a spot in the top of the championship bracket, Thursday at 11 a.m. The Seahawks will see the Grizzlies again, after GGC run-ruled Saint Xavier (Ill.) to end the Cougars’ run, as leadoff hitter Jon Ponder drove in four GGC runs, and Tyler Marti went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs. Saint Xavier had earned its spot in the elimination contest with the Grizzlies by beating Talladega (Ala.), 9-8, a game that saw both teams score five runs in their halves of the seventh inning before SXU walked off on a ninth-inning error by Talladega.
Kansas Wesleyan upset Taylor (Ind.) to take control of the Upland Bracket, beating the Trojans 7-5 by blasting a pair of home runs, including Garrett Garfield’s grand slam in the fifth inning. The Coyotes will meet Grand View (Iowa), as the Vikings came from behind to end Taylor’s season, 11-10, scoring four times in the sixth before a walk-off single from Brook Heinen.
In Waleska, Ga., Ave Maria (Fla.) atoned for a day-one loss to Reinhardt (Ga.) by beating the Eagles 11-4, and the Gyrenes forced Thursday’s winner-take-all championship game with Loyola (La.) by beating the Wolfpack 9-8. Ave Maria and Loyola will decide the Waleska Bracket at Noon ET, on Thursday.
Williamsburg, Ky., will conclude on Thursday, as Cumberlands (Ky.) needs one win over Missouri Baptist to make it to Lewiston. The Patriots beat the Spartans 8-6 in 10 innings to start Wednesday, but the Spartans bounced back to beat MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), ending the Pioneers’ 2025 run, 7-2. Missouri Baptist will try to force a 3:30 p.m. ET winner-take-all, meeting Cumberlands for the third time in the second time in as many days.
Record by seed…
1: 19-9
2: 15-16
3: 12-14
4: 17-17
5: 3-12