KINGSPORT, Tenn. - For the sixth year in a row, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau will host the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Hunter Wright Stadium.
St. Thomas (Fla.) is the number three seed in the five-team Opening Round. Last year, the Bobcats won the Opening Round in Lawrenceville, Ga. to advance to the Avista-NAIA World Series where they finished runner-up, the highest finish in school history.
AAC regular-season and tournament champion Tennessee Wesleyan is the No. 1 seed for the Kingsport Bracket.
Joining St. Thomas and Tennessee Wesleyan are No. 2 seed Middle Georgia State, No. 4 seed Indiana Tech and No. 5 seed Rio Grande (Ohio).
Play begins Tuesday with No. 4 Indiana Tech facing No. 5 Rio Grande at 11 a.m. No. 2 Middle Georgia State will battle No. 3 St. Thomas at 2:30 p.m., while top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan will face the Indiana Tech-Rio Granda winner at 6 p.m.
The tournament is double-elimination with the winner advancing to the Avista-NAIA World Series.
2016 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Kingsport Bracket Qualifiers
| School |
Qualification |
Record^ |
OR Appearances |
OR Record |
OR Titles |
| Indiana Tech |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up |
39-18 |
6th |
8-10 |
0 |
| Middle Georgia State |
At-Large |
39-16 |
1st |
0-0 |
0 |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) |
Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion |
37-23 |
3rd |
4-4 |
0 |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) |
At-Large |
35-20 |
5th |
9-7 |
1 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion |
45-12 |
8th |
18-10 |
3
|
Overall record as of May 13, 2016 via DakStats
Opening Round Appearances includes 2016 Opening Round
For more on the Kingsport Bracket, visit the tournament page.
