Kingsport, Tenn. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has chosen Kingsport as one of 10 locations around the country for the 2025 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. 46 teams were selected to play in the 10 cities, with one winner from each advancing to the Avista-NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, Idaho. In previous years, four teams have advanced from Kingsport and won the NAIA World Series.
Visit Kingsport will host four teams in a double elimination tournament from May 12-15.
“We’re so excited to welcome the NAIA back to Kingsport,” said Bradley Hoover, Director of Sports for Visit Kingsport. “This is our 14th consecutive year serving as a host city for the National Championship Opening Round, and we can’t wait to see which team will advance to the NAIA Baseball World Series.”
The tournament takes place at Hunter Wright Stadium beginning Monday May 12.
Kingsport was chosen as a host city by the NAIA Baseball National Championship Selection Committee, a group made of head coaches and administrators from around the nation. Selections take into account geography, facilities and host qualifications.
Here are the seeds for the tournament:
- Tennessee Wesleyan University (TN)
- Cumberland University (TN)
- Columbia College (MO)
- Indiana Tech (IND)
- Louisiana Christian University (LA)
Tournament Schedule
Monday, May 12
Game 1 – #4 Indiana Tech vs. #5 Louisiana Christian, 11 am
Game 2 – #3 Columbia vs. #2 Cumberland, 2:30 pm
Game 3 – #1 TN Wesleyan vs. Game #1 Winner, 6 pm
Tuesday, May 13
Game 4 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 9 am
Game 5 – Winner Game #2 vs. Winner Game #3, 2:30 pm
Game 6 – Loser Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4, 6 pm
Wednesday, May 14
Game 7 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 11 am
Game 8 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 2:30 pm
Thursday, May 15 (if necessary)
Game 9 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, TBA
