AUM lands NAIA Baseball Opening Round site
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (aumathletics.com) — Auburn Montgomery was selected one of nine host sites for the eighth-annual NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round, the national office announced Friday.
The five-team, double-elimination tournament will be played May 17-20, with the Opening Round qualifiers and seeding being announced May 13.
In addition to AUM as a host site was Davenport (Mich.) University, Faulkner (Ala.) University, Georgia Gwinnett College, University of Jamestown (N.D.), Tabor (Kan.) College, USC Beaufort, Westmont (Calif.) College and Kingsport (Tenn.) Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The appointment of AUM and Faulkner as host locations marks the first time in the eight-year history of the Opening Round format two sites have be held in the same town. It also marks the first time since 2011 AUM has opened an Opening Round site.
The Opening Round site selection process takes into account geography, facilities, student-athlete experience and host qualification. In the event that a selected bid is tied directly to an institution, that school is guaranteed at least an at-large host berth.
The numbers traditionally show a good amount of success by the host in the Opening Round. Last season, four of the nine hosts won their bracket, while the host has won 30-of-63 all-time Opening Round brackets.
The nine Opening Round winners will join World Series host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College to create the field for the 2016 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. The event will be played at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, from May 27 to June 3. AUM made its last appearance in the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series in 2006.
