Columbia, MO - 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 secured a spot in the opening round by 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.
The Columbia College softball team will continue its postseason play in the five-team Hattiesburg Bracket of the 2026 NAIA Opening Round, being hosted by William Carey University (Mississippi), beginning on Monday, May 11, and continuing through Thursday, May 14. Coming off their 20th AMC tournament championship, the Cougars earned an automatic bid to the Opening Round. 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.
The Opening Round is a double-elimination format with five teams: William Carey, Coastal Georgia, Georgia Gwinnett, Marian, and Columbia.
The fifth-seeded Cougars will open NAIA Tournament play against Marian University, a program they have squared off with four times on the postseason stage.
The two programs carry a familiarity in the bracket, with Columbia holding a 3-2 all-time record against the Knights in postseason play. The Cougars hosted Marian in the 2021 NAIA Opening Round, and the two met again in 2023 when Columbia traveled to Indianapolis, going 1-2 against the Knights before Marian advanced on a win in the if-necessary championship game. The programs first crossed paths in the 2018 NAIA World Series, a game that went in Columbia's favor.
Tickets can be purchased on site with either cash or card.
Daily ticket - $20
Tournament pass - $50
All games will be live streamed for free on the Urban Edge Network.
Hattiesburg Bracket Teams
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| #1 William Carey |
#2 Coastal Georgia |
#3 Georgia Gwinnett |
#4 Marian |
#5 Columbia |
| 39-12, 18-4 Southern States |
37-12, 20-8 Sun Conference |
29-22, 4-0 Continental Athletic |
34-16, 23-13 Crossroads |
27-13, 13-5 American Midwest |
| NAIA Rank: #12 |
NAIA Rank: #18 |
NAIA Rank: (RV) |
NAIA Rank: #22 |
NAIA Rank: NR |
| Schedule | Stats |
Schedule | Stats |
Schedule | Stats |
Schedule | Stats |
Schedule | Stats |
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Schedule
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| Monday, May 11th |
Tuesday, May 12th |
Wednesday, May 13th |
Thursday, May 14th |
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Game 1 - 12:00PM
Marian vs. Columbia |
Game 4 - 12:00PM
Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 |
Game 7 - 12:00PM
Loser G5 vs. Winner G6 |
Game 9 - 12:00PM
Winner G8 vs. Loser G8
*if necessary |
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Game 2 - 3:00PM
Coastal Georgia vs. Georgia Gwinnett |
Game 5 - 3:00PM
Winner G2 vs. Winner G3 |
Game 8 - 3:00PM
Winner G5 vs. Winner G7 |
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Game 3 - 6:00PM
William Carey vs. Winner G1 |
Game 6 - 6:00PM
Winner G4 vs. Loser G3 |
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