HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The road to Lewiston runs through south Mississippi as William Carey welcomes three top programs to Milton Wheeler Field for the 2025 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round, taking place May 12–15.
 
The double-elimination tournament features No. 10 William Carey (WCU), No. 11 Oklahoma Wesleyan (OKWU), No. 18 Indiana Southeast and No. 24 British Columbia (UBC), all competing for a berth in the 2025 Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, scheduled for May 23–30.
 
Tournament action begins on Monday, May 12, with two games on tap. The day opens at 2:00 p.m. as No. 3 seed British Columbia faces No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan.
 
The Thunderbirds (36-17, 29-8) are led at the plate by Jonny McGill, who has a .406 batting average with 16 home runs. On the mound, Will Anderson was one of three pitchers named CCC co-Pitchers of the Year, after finishing second in the conference in ERA (2.87) and fifth in strikeouts (69).
 
The Eagles (46-9, 30-6) are led by KCAC Player of the Year Ravaughn Morgan and KCAC Pitcher of the Year Evan Floor. Morgan boasts a .415 batting average with 14 home runs and 69 RBI, while Floor posted a 13-1 record with a 3.52 ERA.
 
The final game of day one features host No. 1 seed WCU taking on No.4 seed IU-Southeast at 6:00 p.m.
 
The Crusaders (38-12, 24-6) are led at the plate by DeeJay Booth, who hit .407 with four home runs and 45 RBI and Rigoberto Hernandez who has a .370 batting average with 13 home runs and 55 RBI. On the mound, Luke Lycette and Bobby Magee lead the way. Lycette comes in with a 6-1 mark with an era of 3.38 and 71 strikeouts. Magee (7-1) has a 3.74 era with 59 strikeouts.
 
The Grenadiers (30-16, 17-6) are led by RSC Player of the Year Logan Beard, who hit .361 with nine home runs and 58 RBI, Nolan Bowser who hit .366, and Hazel Martinez hit .365 with 14 doubles, six homers and 44 RBI. Brendan Whalen and Luca Sandrella lead the pitching staff. Whalen has a 6-2 record with a 3.71 ERA in 63 innings. Sandrella, the RSC Freshman of the Year, also has a 6-2 record with a 4.85 ERA in 55.2 innings.
 
Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $20.00 for a day pass or $50.00 for a tournament pass. Fans can also catch all the action via live stream for $9.99 per game.