Henderson – Freed-Hardeman University will be one of nine sites to host the opening round of the 2019 NAIA Baseball National Tournament May 13-15.

The games will be played at Carnes Field.

According to a press release from The Bramblett Group, FHU joins Cumberlands (Kentucky), Faulkner (Alabama), Georgia Gwinnett, LSU Shreveport (Louisiana), Middle Georgia State, St. Thomas (Florida), Kingsport (Tennessee) and Westmont (California) as host sites.

This marks the first time FHU has hosted the opening round. The Freed-Hardeman bracket, like the other eight brackets, will feature five teams, with the winner of each bracket advancing to the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. Opening round qualifiers and brackets will be announced Thursday, May 9, at 4 p.m.

According to the NAIA, the host site selection process considers geography, facilities, student-athlete experience and host qualification. Because Freed-Hardeman was selected to host, they receive an at-large berth for the opening round; therefore, they do not have to win the American Midwest Conference Tournament to qualify for the national tournament.

“We are looking forward to hosting the opening round of this national tournament,” FHU President David Shannon said. “Landing and planning it has been a team effort involving the City of Henderson, Chester County, the Henderson/Chester County Chamber of Commerce and FHU. We are excited to welcome the teams and their fans to our community.”

In 2018, the Lions played their opening round in Upland, Indiana, where they won the bracket to advance to the World Series. In Idaho, the Lions advanced to the World Series Final, before falling to Southeastern (Florida).

(PHOTO: Carnes Field, Freed-Hardeman University – courtesy of The Bramblett Group)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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