KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Bellevue University softball team will head to Sioux Center, Iowa, on May 13-16 to compete in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round - NWC Bracket. The Bruins will open play on May 13 against St. Xavier University at Open Air Park.
BU received an at-large berth into the Opening Round after finishing the regular season with a 32-20 overall record and a 19-3 mark in the North Star Athletic Association. The Bruins won the NSAA regular season title and finished as the NSAA Tournament runners-up. Dickinson State University earned the league's automatic berth after winning the NSAA Tournament on Monday with a 4-3 victory over the Bruins in the title game.
The 2024 NAIA Softball National Championship features an expanded field of 48 teams. There are two Opening Round sites that feature four teams and eight with five team brackets, each playing in a double-elimination format. The champions from each of the 10 opening round tournaments will advance to the 43rd Annual NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga., from May 23-29. These programs will participate in a double-elimination national championship at the South Commons Complex. The World Series bracket will be announced late in the day on May 16.
The Sioux Center Opening Round site participants include No. 1 Northwestern (Iowa) College, No. 2 Maddona University, No. 3 Grand View University, No. 4 St. Xavier University, and No. 5 Bellevue University. The tournament will be hosted by Northwestern College.
Northwestern (48-5) is ranked No. 9 in the latest NAIA top 25 poll. The Red Raiders won the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles.
Madonna (47-3) is ranked No. 11. The Crusaders captured the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships.
Grand View (33-17), St. Xavier (27-12), and Bellevue (32-20) all received votes in the latest NAIA top 25 poll. St. Xavier won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title.
Bellevue will be making its 11th appearance in the NAIA National Tournament and its first since 2019.
NAIA National Championship Opening Round
Northwestern College Bracket |Open Air Park, 880 7th St. NE, Sioux Center, Iowa
Monday, May 13
Game 1: (4) Saint Xavier vs. (5) Bellevue; 1:00 PM
Game 2: (2) Madonna vs. (3) Grand View; 3:30 PM
Tuesday, May 14
Game 3: (1) Northwestern vs. Winner Game 1; 1:00 PM
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2; 3:30 PM
Wednesday, May 15
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 2; 12:00 PM
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4; 2:30 PM
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5; 5:00 PM
Thursday, May 16
Game 8: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 5; 1:00 PM
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 8 (if necessary); 3:30 PM
Fan Information
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for K-College students and will be sold at the gate. Season passes and institutional IDs will not be accepted for free admission. Fans with NAIA passes will receive one free entry per pass holder.
A livestream will be available for all games, with a pay-per-view rate of $10 per game or $25 for the entire week. Live stats will also be provided at no cost for all of the games. Please check the Bellevue University Softball schedule page for updated links for live stats and live video.
