Opening Round field set for Baseball
Bellevue is the top seed in their Opening Round Bracket and will host #2 Science & Arts, #3 Davenport, #4 Antelope Valley, and #5 Judson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Bellevue University baseball team will host four teams in the 2017 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round – Bellevue Bracket at Don Roddy Stadium.
The second-ranked Bruins gained entry to the tournament with a 49-9 overall record and a 23-1 mark in the North Star Athletic Association. They claimed the Regular-Season Championship and reached the semi-finals of the NSAA Tournament. BU will be the top seed in the Bellevue Bracket and are one of nine Opening Round hosts.
The other four teams that will make up the field of the Bellevue Bracket are #2-seed University of Science & Arts (Okla.), #3-seed Davenport University (Mich.), #4-seed University of Antelope Valley (Calif.), and #5-seed Judson University (Ill.).
The Opening Round consists of nine five-team double-elimination tournaments across the country and will be conducted from May 15-18 with the winner advancing to the 61st Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The World Series is a 10-team double-elimination tournament and will be played from May 26-June 2 at Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College. Last year LC State defeated Faulkner (Ala.) by a score of 12-11 to capture their second-straight National Title.
Bellevue is ranked No. 2 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll. Science & Arts is ranked No. 19 while Davenport and Antelope Valley are both receiving votes.
Bellevue is making their 19th National Tournament appearance and eighth Opening Round appearance. Last year the Bruins reached the Avista-NAIA World Series for the 13th time in program history and reached the Final Four.
NAIA National Championship Opening Round
Bellevue Bracket | Don Roddy Stadium
Monday, May 15:
Game 1: #4 Antelope Valley vs. #5 Judson, 10 a.m.
Game 2: #2 Science & Arts vs. #3 Davenport, 2 p.m.
Game 3: #1 Bellevue vs. Winner of Game 1, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 16:
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 5: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, May 17:
Game 7: Loser of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, noon
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7, 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 18:
Game 9: Same teams as Game 8, noon (If Necessary)