The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team has earned the top seed for the five-team Lawrenceville Bracket of the 2026 NAIA Opening Round, beginning Monday, May 11, and continuing through Thursday, May 15, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.
Joining the Grizzlies in the double-elimination tournament will be No. 2 seed Louisiana Christian University, No, 3 seed Marian University (Indiana), No. 4 seed University of Northwestern Ohio, and No. 5 seed Talladega College (Alabama).
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Monday's opening day schedule features the following games:
- Northwestern Ohio vs. Talladega, 11 a.m.
- Louisiana Christian vs. Marian, 3 p.m.
- Winner of the Northwestern Ohio-Talladega game vs. Georgia Gwinnett, 7 p.m.
The winner of the Lawrenceville Bracket Opening Round advances to play in the Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, beginning on Friday, May 22.
GGC (46-6) earned an automatic bid to the national tournament after winning the Continental Athletic Conference tournament title. The No. 3-ranked Grizzlies have advanced to the Avista NAIA World Series seven straight seasons and won the national title in 2021. GGC is hosting an Opening Round for the fifth consecutive season.
Louisiana Christian (35-13) received an at-large bid to the national tournament field as a representative of the Red River Athletic Conference. The Wildcats are tied for No. 24 in the final NAIA Top 25 regular-season poll. They competed in the Lawrenceville Opening Round in 2024.
Marian (35-16) received an at-large bid from the Crossroads League. The Knights were ranked No. 23 in the current Top 25 poll.
Northwestern Ohio (36-16) won the regular season title in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference to earn an automatic bid into this year's national tournament. The Racers received votes in the final national poll.
Talladega (31-17) captured the HBCU Athletic Conference tournament title to secure an automatic bid into the national field. The Tornadoes are making their second straight appearance in the Lawrenceville Bracket.
