HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - William Carey University will be one of 10 national hosts when the Opening Round of the National Association of Intercollege Athletics’ baseball postseason begins Monday.

Carey (44-9), ranked eighth in the final NAIA Baseball Coaches Top 25 poll, will welcome four teams to Milton Wheeler Field for the Opening Round/National Championship running Monday through Thursday.

The winner of the Hattiesburg bracket will join the nine other bracket winners in the 10-team 2023 NAIA World Series to be held May 26 through June 2 at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

The Crusaders last went to the NAIA World Series in 2017, the same year a tornado devastated the Hattiesburg campus.

To make an appearance this season, Carey will have to come through a field featuring two other teams ranked in the final Top 25 poll.

Carey’s bracket includes No. 14 Texas Wesleyan University (36-13); No. 17 Ave Marie (Fla.) University (34-16); Union (Barbourville, Ky.) College (301-7-1); and University of Houston-Victoria (26-25).

Seeding for the double-elimination tournament includes:

No. 1 Carey Crusaders
No. 2 Texas Wesleyan Rams
No. 3 Ave Maria Gyrenes
No. 4 Union Bulldogs
No. 5 Houston-Victoria Jaguars.

Monday’s schedule includes Houston-Victoria/Union at 10 a.m. and Texas Wesleyan/Ave Maria at 1:30 p.m.

Carey, regular-season champions of the Southern States Athletic Conference, will take on the winner of the Houston-Victoria/Union game at 5 p.m.

NAIA Hattiesburg Bracket

SCHEDULE

	Date	Time
Game 1: Union vs. Houston-Victoria	Monday, May 15	10 a.m.
Game 2: Texas Wesleyan vs. Ave Maria	Monday, May 15	1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. William Carey	Monday, May 15	5 p.m.

Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Loser Game 2	Tuesday, May 16	10 a.m.
Game 5: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner	Tuesday, May 16	1:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner	Tuesday, May 16	5 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 5 Loser	Wednesday, May 17	10 a.m.
Game 8: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner	Wednesday, May 17	1:30 p.m.

Game 9: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser	Thursday, May 18	11 a.m.
(if necessary)