Three #HeartSB Programs Set for Opening Round Action
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three Heart of America programs will represent the league in the 2021 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round. The eighth annual event will take place May 17-19 at ten different locations. The format is a double-elimination, four-team tournament. For more information on the host sites, click here. | Opening Round Schedule
The 40-team field is comprised of 32 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large berths. The 19 conferences receive one berth per six teams and two berths per ten teams. The at-large berths were determined by the NAIA Softball National Selection Committee.
Grand View earned an automatic bid to the event after claiming the regular season title and will appear for the 7th time in program history. Mount Mercy earned the remaining automatic bid for the conference after claiming the tournament trophy in an extra-inning thriller, clinching their first national appearance since 2010. Central Methodist, currently ranked fourth in the nation, was selected as an at-large berth.
The champions from each of the 10 opening round tournaments advance to the 40th annual NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga., from May 27 – June 2. These programs will participate in a double-elimination national championship at South Commons Softball Complex.
The World Series bracket will be announced late in the day on May 19 after the completion of the opening rounds on NAIA.org.
2021 Softball National Championship Opening Round Qualifiers
Team | Method of Qualification | Conference | Record | OR Appearances | Last Time | OR Record |
Aquinas (Mich.) | Regular Season Champion | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | 29-10 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
Bethany (Kan.) | Regular Season Runner-Up | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | 26-27 | 2nd | 2013 | 0-2 |
Brenau (Ga.) | Tournament Champion | Appalachian Athletic Conference | 23-15 | 5th | 2019 | 3-6 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) | Tournament Champion | Mid-South Conference | 40-11 | 6th | 2019 | 10-9 |
Central Baptist (Ark.) | Tournament Runner-Up | American Midwest Conference | 30-13 | 2nd | 2019 | 1-2 |
Central Methodist (Mo.) | At-Large | Heart of America Athletic Conference | 49-7 | 6th | 2018 | 13-8 |
Coastal Georgia | Tournament Champion | The Sun Conference | 32-11 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
College of Idaho | At-Large | Cascade Collegiate Conference | 38-16 | 4th | 2019 | 9-5 |
Columbia (Mo.) | Regular Season Champion | American Midwest Conference | 34-5 | 6th | 2019 | 9-6 |
Concordia (Neb.) | Tournament Runner-Up | Great Plains Athletic Conference | 32-11 | 3rd | 2015 | 1-4 |
Cottey (Mo.) | Tournament Runner-Up | A.I.I. | 27-11 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) | Tournament Champion | North Star Athletic Association | 34-13 | 6th | 2018 | 4-8 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | At-Large | Mid-South Conference | 39-11 | 4th | 2018 | 5-5 |
Georgetown (Ky.) | Tournament Runner-Up | Mid-South Conference | 27-20 | 2nd | 2014 | 0-2 |
Georgia Gwinnett | Tournament Champion | A.I.I. | 32-11 | 6th | 2019 | 12-7 |
Grand View (Iowa) | Regular Season Champion | Heart of America Athletic Conference | 42-11 | 7th | 2019 | 5-10 |
Hope International | At-Large | Golden State Athletic Conference | 28-9 | 3rd | 2019 | 3-4 |
Houston-Victoria (Texas) | Tournament Champion | Red River Athletic Conference | 19-21 | 6th | 2019 | 7-10 |
Indiana - Southeast | Tournament Runner-Up | River States Conference | 45-16 | 6th | 2019 | 3-10 |
Indiana Wesleyan | Tournament Champion | Crossroads League | 44-7 | 6th | 2019 | 10-7 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky,) | At-Large | Mid-South Conference | 38-9 | 8th | 2019 | 14-9 |
Madonna (Mich.) | Tournament Champion | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | 30-8 | 5th | 2019 | 7-8 |
Marian (Ind.) | Regular Season Champion | Crossroads League | 45-13 | 7th | 2019 | 14-6 |
Midland (Neb.) | Regular Season Champion | Great Plains Athletic Conference | 38-8 | 3th | 2019 | 2-4 |
Milligan (Tenn.) | Regular Season Champion | Appalachian Athletic Conference | 29-7 | 3rd | 2017 | 0-4 |
Morningside (Iowa) | At-Large | Great Plains Athletic Conference | 42-9 | 6th | 2019 | 5-8 |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) | Tournament Champion | Heart of America Athletic Conference | 33-14 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
Oklahoma City | At-Large | Sooner Athletic Conference | 43-4 | 8th | 2019 | 21-3 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | Regular Season Champion | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 31-6 | 6th | 2019 | 9-8 |
Oregon Tech | Tournament Champion | Cascade Collegiate Conference | 42-8 | 7th | 2019 | 16-7 |
Ottawa (Ariz.) | Tournament Champion | Golden State Athletic Conference | 13-14 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
Ottawa (Kan.) | Regular Season Champion | Kansas City Collegiate Conference | 41-5 | 3rd | 2017 | 3-2 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) | At-Large | Appalachian Athletic Conference | 41-13 | 6th | 2017 | 8-6 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) | Regular Season Champion | River States Conference | 45-14 | 6th | 2019 | 6-10 |
Saint Katherine (Calif.) | Tournament Champion | California Pacific Conference | 11-19-1 | 1st | - | 0-0 |
Southern Oregon | Regular Season Champion | Cascade Collegiate Conference | 46-5 | 5th | 2019 | 11-4 |
St. Xavier (Ill.) | Tournament Champion | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 33-2 | 7th | 2019 | 13-10 |
Truett McConnell (Ga.) | Regular Season Runner-Up | Appalachian Athletic Conference | 31-14 | 3rd | 2019 | 3-4 |
USAO (Okla.) | Tournament Champion | Sooner Athletic Conference | 48-6 | 5th | 2019 | 10-5 |
William Carey (Miss.) | Tournament Champion | Southern States Athletic Conference | 39-9 | 7th | 2019 | 12-8 |