GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced its brackets for the Baseball National Opening Round Friday night. Davenport, which is one of nine schools to host, will be welcoming Oklahoma Wesleyan, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), Peru State (Neb.) and Grand View (Iowa) at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex beginning May 12.
 
The second-seeded Panthers will face Mount Vernon Nazarene Tuesday a 3 p.m. Peru State and Grand View will meet in the first game at 12 p.m. with the winner taking on top-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan later that day at 6 p.m.
 
The Panthers are making their second straight trip to the national opening round after successfully defending their Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament title Thursday. Head coach Kevin Tidey and his ballclub are 48-9 on the year.
 
Oklahoma Wesleyan, under head coach Matt Parker, is making its second appearance in the NAIA National Opening Round, after going 3-0 last year. The Eagles received an at-large berth with a record of 46-12.
 
Grand View earned its fourth bid to the NAIA National Opening Round after winning the Midwest Collegiate Tournament. Longtime head coach Lou Yacinich's ballclub is 20-20 on the year.
 
Peru State is also making its second appearance in nationals after having won the Heart of America Athletic regular-season title. Fifth-year head coach Wayne Albury and his Bobcats are 38-14 on the year.
 
Mount Vernon Nazarene, the Crossroads League regular-season champions, has the most experience in the NAIA National Opening Round, having made five appearances prior to this year. The Cougars, under 26-year head coach Keith Veale, will come to Grand Rapids with a 37-10 record.
 
Opening Round champions will join host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) at the 59th annual Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, May 22 – 29.
 
For the first time in NAIA baseball history, at-large teams were determined by a National Selection Committee (NSC). The NSC consists of one representative from each geographic area, a representative from the National Administrative Council (NAC) Rules and Ratings Committee, the president of the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria
 
Seeding for the Opening Round was determined by the National Selection Committee (NSC), which was created as a pilot group for the 2015 season. The committee used the same criteria as they did for at-large selection. There are also three additional considerations that were taken into account – geographical location of teams, financial considerations and final rating.
 
Tournament Schedule:
Tuesday, May 12
Game 1: Peru St. (No. 4 seed) vs. Grand View (No. 5 seed) – Noon EST
Game 2: Davenport University (No. 2 seed) vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (No. 3 seed) – 3 p.m. EST
Game 3: Oklahoma Wesleyan (No. 1 seed) vs. Winner of Game 1 - 6 p.m. EST
 
Wednesday, May 13
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 - – Noon EDT
Game 5: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3 - 3 p.m. EDT
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 6 p.m. EDT
 
Thursday, May 14
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 5 – 1 p.m. EDT
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7 - 4 p.m. EDT
 
Friday, May 15
Game 9: Winner of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 8 - Noon EDT (if necessary)
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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