KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA released the seeding and opponents on Wednesday evening for the 2026 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. The Wildcats earned the 4-seed in the Kingsport, Tennessee bracket and will match up with the 5-seed William Woods (Mo.) for their first game. IWU will make their second-consecutive and sixth overall NAIA Tournament appearance this year. They will also return to the same Opening Round site where the Wildcats advanced to their first and only NAIA World Series in 2023.
To view the full release from the NAIA, click HERE.
Host 2-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan enters the tournament with a 40-14 record. The Bulldogs earned their bid as Appalachian Athletics Conference Tournament champions. They will face 3-seed LSU Alexandria) who come in with a 33-15 record, earning an At-Large bid out of the Red River Athletic Conference. IWU's first round opponent will be 5-seed William Woods (Mo.) who boasts a 29-21 record and earned their bid as the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament runner-ups. 1-seed Webber International will have a bye and will face the winner of IWU vs. WWU. They enter with a 37-7 record and come in as an At-Large from the Sun Conference. Former Wildcat Ty Mathews now plays for the Warriors.
THE SCHEDULE
Monday, May 11, 2026
- Game 1: No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan vs. No. 5 William Woods // 11:00 AM
- Game 2: No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan vs. No. 3 LSU Alexandria // 2:30 PM
- Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. No. 1 Webber International // 6:30 PM
Tuesday, March 12, 2026
- Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser- 11:00 a.m.
- Game 5: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner- 2:30 p.m.
- Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner- 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 13, 2026
- Game 7 - Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner- 11:00 a.m.
- Game 8 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner- 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 14, 2026
- Game 9 - Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser (If Necessary)- TBD
TICKETS/VIDEO/STATS
Links for tickets, live video, and live stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
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