Opening Round Brackets Announced

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA has announced the field for the 2025 Softball National Championship Opening Round, to be held on May 12-15. Northwestern's bracket will include No. 13 Marian (Ind.), (RV) Friends (Kan.), Baker (Kan.), and Northwestern (Ohio).

Northwestern is hosting an opening round site for the second consecutive year, opening its national tournament journey at Open Space Park in Sioux Center. Last year, the Raiders advanced to the pod championship game.

The Raiders are making their sixth NAIA tournament appearance, holding a 6-10 record all time. It will be the third year in a row that Northwestern has appeared in the opening round.

TICKETS
Tickets will be sold online at nwcraiders.com/tickets or at the gate. All tickets sold are general admission. Single-day passes will be $10 for adults and $5 for K-College students. Tournament passes will be available for $25 for adults and $15 for K-College students.

Only NAIA passes will be accepted for free admission. Institutional IDs will not be accepted.

LIVE COVERAGE
A livestream will be available on Northwestern's GPAC Network portal. The stream will be pay-per-view at a fee of $10 per game or $25 for the tournament.

KSOU 93.9 FM will provide coverage of Northwestern's games. Live stats can be followed on the NAIA's StatBroadcast portal.

THE SCHEDULE
Monday, May 12
Game 1: #5 UNOH vs. #4 Baker (Kan.) – 12:00 PM
Game 2: #3 Friends (Kan.) vs. #2 Marian (Ind.) – 2:30 PM
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. #1 Northwestern – 5:00 PM

Tuesday, May 13
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 12:00 PM
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 2 – 2:30 PM
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 5:00 PM

Wednesday, May 14
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5 – 12:00 PM
Game 8: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 5 – 2:30 PM

Thursday, May 15
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 8 (if necessary) – 12:00 PM

The winner of next week's bracket will advance to the 2025 NAIA Softball National Championship World Series in Columbus, Georgia on May 22-28.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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