By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – William Carey University learned which teams will be coming to Milton Wheeler Field next week for the NAIA Opening Round Regional.
The Hattiesburg Regional will feature a five-team field, including the No. 1-seeded Crusaders. Other schools in the regional will be second-seeded Texas Wesleyan, No. 3 Ave Maria (Fla.), 4-seed Union (Ky.) and fifth-seeded Houston-Victoria.
Carey (44-9) will battle the winner of the first game of the tournament between Union and Houston-Victoria at 5 p.m. Monday. There will be three games Monday and Tuesday, two on Wednesday, and potentially a winner-take-all championship game on Thursday, if needed.
The NAIA announced the 46-team field for the National Tournament, with four of the 10 regional sites playing four-team fields, with the rest playing a five-team bracket.
The 10 regional winners will advance to the NAIA World Series beginning May 26 at Lewiston, Idaho.
Other regional sites are Bellevue, Nebraska; Fayette, Missouri; Kingsport, Tennessee; Lawrenceville, Georgia; Lewiston, Idaho; Santa Barbara, California; Shreveport, Louisiana; Upland, Indiana and Williamsburg, Kentucky.
NAIA Opening Round Regional
At Milton Wheeler Field, Hattiesburg
(Single bracket, double-elimination)
Monday
10 a.m. – Game 1, Union, Ky. (30-17-1) vs. Houston-Victoria, Texas (26-25); 1:30 p.m. – Game 2, Texas Wesleyan (33-14) vs. Ave Maria, Fla. (34-16); 5 p.m. – Game 3, William Carey (44-9) vs. Union/Houston-Victoria winner.
Tuesday
10 a.m. – Game 4, Union/Houston-Victoria loser vs. Texas Wesleyan/Ave Maria loser; 1:30 p.m. – Game 5, Texas Wesleyan/Ave Maria winner vs. Game 3 winner; 5 p.m. – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner.
Wednesday
10 a.m. – Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 loser; 1:30 p.m. – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner.
Thursday
11 a.m. – Game 8 winner vs. Game 8 loser (if necessary).
