Kansas City, MO - The No. 5 Patriots earned an automatic bid into the NAIA National Baseball Tournament and will serve as an Opening Round host site as part of a five-team bracket, as released by the NAIA on Wednesday evening. Cumberlands will welcome the No. 2 seed Missouri Baptist, No. 3 seed William Carey (Miss.), No. 4 seed Bryan (Tenn.), and No. 5 seed Central Baptist (Ark.).

The 46-team field is set to compete at Opening Round sites around the country from May 11-14. The 10 Opening Round winners will advance to Lewiston, Idaho for the 69th Avista NAIA World Series to once again be played at Harris Field on the Lewis-Clark State College campus.

#1 seed Cumberlands, ranked fifth in the NAIA, is currently 46-8 on the season with a Mid-South Conference record of 16-2. UC claimed the MSC Regular Season title for the fourth consecutive season and captured the MSC Tournament title for the seventh time to secure their ninth Opening Round bid. Cumberlands will take on the winner of game one in the third game on Monday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. (EST).

#2 seed Missouri Baptist, ranked seventh in the NAIA, is a member of the American Midwest Conference and earned an at-large berth into the field. The Spartans enter the Opening Round in Williamsburg for the second consecutive year with a 39-10 overall record and posted a 24-4 mark in conference play. Missouri Baptist will face #3 seed William Carey in the second game on Monday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. (EST).

#3 seed William Carey is a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference and earned an at-large berth into the field. The Crusaders enter the Opening Round with a 35-18 overall record and posted a 17-10 mark in conference play while being ranked 19th in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll. William Carey will face #2 seed Missouri Baptist in the second game on Monday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. (EST).

#4 seed Bryan (Tenn.) is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference and earned its bid after finishing runner-up in the conference tournament. The Lions enter the Opening Round with a 27-24 overall record and posted a 15-12 mark in AAC play. Bryan (Tenn.) will face #5 seed Central Baptist on Monday, May 11 at 12:00 p.m. (EST).

#5 seed Central Baptist (Ark.) is a member of the American Midwest Conference and earned its automatic berth after winning the AMC Tournament Championship. The Mustangs enter the Opening Round with a 34-18 overall record and posted a 14-7 mark in conference play. Central Baptist will face #4 seed Bryan (Tenn.) on Monday, May 11 at 12:00 p.m. (EST).

Opening Round play will begin on Monday, May 11 with #5 Central Baptist taking on #4 Bryan (Tenn.) at 12:00 p.m. (EST). Game two will feature #3 William Carey against #2 Missouri Baptist at 3:30 p.m. (EST), followed by #1 Cumberlands facing the winner of game one at 7:00 p.m. (EST).

All games will be available on live stream for free on the UCSN watch page.

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