IU Southeast and Rio Grande set to open NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on Monday

5/12/2024 12:00:00 AM

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced earlier this week the teams and pairings for the 2024 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening, which takes place at 10 campus sites around the nation on May 13-16.

Two of the teams included were IU Southeast (Ind.) and Rio Grande (Ohio), who will represent the RSC in the 48-team field. The Grenadiers are headed to Hattiesburg, Miss., while the RedStorm are headed to Indianapolis, Ind.

The NAIA National Championship Opening Round winners will meet up in Columbus, Ga., for the NAIA Softball World Series. The final site takes place at the South Commons Softball Complex from May 23-29, and will be hosted by the Columbus, Ga. Sports Council.

Hattiesburg Bracket

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IU Southeast earned the No. 4 seed in the Hattiesburg Bracket and punched their ticket to the opening round after winning the RSC Softball Regular Season. They are making their third opening round appearance.

The Grenadiers (34-16) will battle Stillman (Ala.) for their opening round matchup on May 13 at 2 p.m. ET. The Tigers (35-13) are making their first-ever appearance in the opening round after earning an at-large berth out of the Southern States Athletic Conference.

The IUS-Stillman winner will meet the No. 1 seed in the Hattiesburg Bracket, Jessup (Calif.). The Warriors (36-9), who were ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Ratings, won the Golden State Athletic Conference regular season championship and earned an at-large berth for their first opening round appearance.

The other first round matchup on Monday features the host and No. 2 seed William Carey (Miss.) and the No. 3 seed Reinhardt (Ga.). That matchup is set for 5 p.m. ET on Monday.

The Crusaders (38-12), who were ranked No. 14 in the final ratings, are the tournament and regular season champions of the SSAC, and are making their seventh opening round appearance, while the Eagles (42-8), ranked No. 20 in the final top 25 ratings, are making their fourth appearance in the opening round after winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament and Regular Season Championship.

Indianapolis Bracket

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The RedStorm (34-17) earned the No. 5 seed in the Indianapolis Bracket after going 5-0 in the RSC Softball Championship to claim their first conference title since 2018. Rio Grande is back in the national tournament after having a streak of seven consecutive opening round appearances snapped last season.

The RedStorm will meet Aquinas (Mich.) for their opening round matchup on May 13 at 11 a.m. ET. The Saints (40-13) earned the No. 4 seed and are making their third opening round appearance after finishing runner-up in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.

The winner of the Rio Grande-Aquinas matchup will face the top seed in the bracket, host Marian (Ind.) on Tuesday, May 14, at 11 a.m. ET. The Knights (44-10), ranked No. 8 in the final coaches' poll, won the Crossroads League Regular Season and Tournament and are making their 11th opening round appearance.

The loser of the Rio Grande Aquinas matchup will meet the loser of Monday's second game featuring the No. 2 seed Southern Oregon and the No. 3 seed Middle Georgia State on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Southern Oregon and Middle Georgia State will square off at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

Southern Oregon (37-17), ranked No. 17 in the final coaches' poll, is making their fifth opening round appearance after earning an at-large berth out of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, while Middle Georgia State, ranked No. 24 in the final top 25 ratings, finished runner-up in the SSAC Tournament to punch their second opening round appearance.