Madonna and Indiana Tech to Represent the WHAC in NAIA Softball Opening Round
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- (NAIA Release) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 48-team field for the 45th annual NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on Wednesday evening. The field for 2026 includes 29 automatic qualifiers, who either punched their ticket by winning their conference regular season or conference tournament, or by being a conference tournament runner-up in their respective conference. Four teams punched their ticket to the opening round, earning a host-at-large berth. At the same time, the remaining 15 spots in the field were filled by the softball national selection committee, comprised of head coaches and administrators from around the country.
Five teams are making their first opening-round appearance in 2026: Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.), Dillard (La.), Dordt (Iowa), Oakland City (Ind.), and Saint Francis (Ind.). On the other side of first appearances for teams in 2026, Oklahoma City is making its 13th opening round appearance, the best mark among the field of 48.
Twenty-nine teams return to the opening round for back-to-back years. Williams Baptist (Ark.), and Tennessee Southern, making an appearance again after a 10-year hiatus.
Oklahoma City leads the field with nine opening-round titles across its 13 appearances. At the same time, 26 other teams have also secured at least one opening-round title, including six from the defending national champion Southern Oregon.
Teams looking to punch one of ten tickets to Columbus for the NAIA Softball World Series have a battle in front of them as the combined overall winning percentage of the field sits at .722 percent, or a combined overall record of 1,744-671. There are 14 teams with 40 or more wins on the season; only eight of those teams have dropped nine or fewer games this season.
How does conference representation stack up across the association? Well, the Cascade and Southern States lead the way with five teams each into the opening rounds. The Cascade and Southern States follow the Heart of America Athletic Conference and the Sun Conference closely.
| Institution | Conference | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Christian | Great Southwest Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Benedictine (Kan.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| British Columbia | Cascade Collegiate Conference | At Large |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | At Large |
| Central Methodist (Mo.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Coastal Georgia | The Sun Conference | At Large |
| College of Idaho | Cascade Collegiate Conference | At Large |
| Columbia (Mo.) | American Midwest Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | At Large |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) | Frontier Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Dillard (La.) | HBCU Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Dordt (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Eastern Oregon | Cascade Collegiate Conference | At Large |
| Evangel (Mo.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Faulkner (Ala.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Friends (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Tournament Runner-up |
| Georgia Gwinnett | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | Tournament Champion |
| Grand View (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Indiana Tech | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | Tournament Runner-up |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League | Regular Season Champion |
| IU Southeast (Ind.) | River States Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Johnson (Tenn.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Keiser (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | Tournament Champion |
| LSU Alexandria (La.) | Red River Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Madonna (Mich.) | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Marian (Ind.) | Crossroads League | At Large |
| Midland (Neb.) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Missouri Baptist | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Mobile (Ala.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Morningside (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | Tournament Runner-up |
| Oakland City (Ind.) | River States Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Oklahoma City | Sooner Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Oregon Tech | Cascade Collegiate Conference | At Large |
| OUAZ (Ariz.) | Great Southwest Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) | Red River Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) | Crossroads League | Tournament Champion |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Science and Arts (Okla.) | Sooner Athletic Conference | Regular Season Champion |
| Southeastern (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | At Large |
| Southern Oregon | Cascade Collegiate Conference | Tournament Champion |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | At Large |
| Tennessee Southern | Southern States Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Texas A&M -Texarkana | Red River Athletic Conference | At Large |
| Truett McConnell (Ga.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| William Carey (Miss.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | Tournament Champion |
| Williams Baptist (Ark.) | American Midwest Conference | Regular Season Champion |