NAIA Release
Tournament Website
Pairings/Schedule
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For the ninth-straight season, the Bellevue University baseball team will compete in the NAIA National Tournament.
The Bruins will travel to Shreveport, La. for the 2018 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round – Shreveport Bracket. The Opening Round will take place from May 13-16 at Pilot field, hosted by LSU Shreveport.
Bellevue (43-14 | 23-1 NSAA), ranked No. 21 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, is the No. 3-seed and will open the tournament against second-seeded and No. 11-ranked LSU Shreveport (47-11 | 22-5 RRAC).
The Bruins and Pilots will be joined in the bracket by top-seeded and No. 8-ranked Oklahoma City University (46-12 | 22-5 Sooner), fourth-seeded Columbia College (29-21 | 21-9 AMC), and fifth-seeded York College (29-21 | 22-11 KCAC).
BU enters the tournament as the hottest team in the country courtesy of a 23-game win streak and wins in 36 of their last 37 games. During their run of success, Bellevue is hitting .387 as a team, averaging 11.4 runs per game, and the pitching staff has posted a 2.85 ERA.
Over the course of the season, Bellevue has played 12 games against teams in the National Tournament Field and posted a 5-7 record in those contests.
The Opening Round consists of nine five-team double-elimination tournaments across the country that will be conducted from May 13-16 with the winner of each bracket advancing to the 63rd Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The World Series is a 10-team double-elimination tournament and will be played from May 24-31 at Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College. Last season Southeastern defeated Freed-Hardeman 6-3 to earn their first NAIA National Championship.
Bellevue is making their 21st National Tournament Appearance and 10th Opening Round Appearance overall. Last season Bellevue posted a 1-2 mark in the Bowling Green Bracket.
The Bruins are looking to make their 14th Avista-NAIA World Series Appearance in the program's storied history.
NAIA National Championship Opening Round
Shreveport Bracket | Pilot Field | Hosted by LSU Shreveport
Monday, May 13:
Game 1: #4 Columbia (Mo.) vs. #5 York (Neb.), Noon
Game 2: #2 LSU Shreveport vs. #3 Bellevue (Neb.), 3:30 p.m.
Game 3: #1 Oklahoma City vs. Game 1 Winner, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14:
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, Noon
Game 5: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15:
Game 7: Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner, Noon
Game 8: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 3:30
Thursday, May 16:
Game 9: Same teams as Game 8 (If Necessary), Noon
