KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The College of Idaho softball team has earned an at-large bid to the 44th annual NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, as announced by the NAIA national office on Wednesday evening. The Yotes (26-18) will travel to Ashland, Oregon, for the Southern Oregon Bracket, hosted by Cascade Collegiate Conference rival Southern Oregon University.
College of Idaho will open tournament play against Keiser University (Fla.) on Monday, May 12 at 11 a.m. PT. Keiser is one of six programs making its first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship. The winner of Sunday's contest will advance to face the host, Southern Oregon, which enters the postseason with a 45-8 record and as one of five CCC teams in this year's national field.
The 48-team field includes 29 automatic qualifiers and 19 at-large selections, determined by the NAIA softball national selection committee. A total of 18 conferences are represented, with the Cascade Collegiate Conference and the Southern States Athletic Conference leading all leagues with five teams each.
This marks the eighth national tournament appearance in program history for the College of Idaho, and the second straight postseason berth for the Yotes. The winners from each of the 12 opening round sites will advance to the NAIA Softball World Series, scheduled for May 22–28 at the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Georgia.
All games in the opening round will be streamed live by the host institution.
