KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 40-team field and pairings for the 2018 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round. The sixth annual event will take place from May 14 - 16 at nine different locations. The format is a double-elimination, four-team tournament. For more information on the host sites, click here. 

The 40-team field is comprised of 30 automatic qualifiers and 10 at-large berths. The 19 conferences receive one berth per six teams and two berths per ten teams. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released earlier today, which can be accessed here.

(Opening Round Schedule) (Bracket Reveal Video) 

The champions from each of the 10 opening round tournaments advance to the 38th annual NAIA Softball World Series in Clermont, Fla., from May 25 – 31. These programs will participate in a double-elimination national championship at the Legends Way Ball Fields. Last year, Oklahoma City won its NAIA-record 10th championship – and second in-a-row – after a 4-1 victory over Corban (Ore.) on June 1.

The World Series bracket will be announced on May 16 on NAIA.org. Advanced World Series tickets may be purchased by clicking here.

For complete story and list of qualifiers, CLICK HERE

-- Courtesy of NAIA 

2018 Softball National Championship Opening Round Qualifiers