2021 Softball National Championship Opening Round Qualifiers & Pairings Announced
May 11, 2021
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 40-team field and pairings for 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 double-elimination, four-team tournament. For more information on the host sites, click here.

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 teams were determine by the NAIA Softball National Selection Committee.

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 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. Advanced World Series tickets may be purchased by clicking here.

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 Conference 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 Champion River States Athletic 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 Athletic 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

Championship Information
NAIA Softball Championship
40th ANNUAL NAIA SOFTBALL
WORLD SERIES

May 17-19, 2021
National Championship Opening
Round – Campus Sites

May 27 – June 2, 2021 Columbus, Ga.