No. 1 USAO to Host NAIA Softball Opening Round for the Fifth Year in a Row
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Thursday, the NAIA announced that No. 1 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (43-7, 33-3 SAC) will once again be a host for the 2025 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round. The national tournament appearance is the 12th in program history, including a current run of eight consecutive appearances. The opening round will take place May 12-15 at Bill Smith Ballpark.
Site selections were made in part by the NAIA Softball National Championship Selection Committee. The committee is comprised of head coaches and administrators from around the nation, and the process takes into account geography, facilities and host qualification. The application deadline was on April 15, 2025.
The 2025 NAIA Softball National Championship will feature 48 teams, with two opening round sites of four teams and eight that are played in five-team brackets. Each opening round is played in a double elimination format. The winner of each will advance to the NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga., beginning on May 22, 2025.
The hosting bid is the fifth in a row for the Drovers, with Bethany College (Kan.) emerging victorious and advanced to the World Series in 2021, followed by USAO winning and advancing to the World Series in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The full field of teams for the tournament will be announced in the NAIA Selection Show on Wednesday, May 7 at 5:00 PM CT on the NAIA's YouTube channel.
USAO Athletic Director Mike Ross said," We are very excited to be selected as a national host once again this year. After the success of this event over the last four years, record breaking attendance, record viewership on our live stream, and the support from the City of Chickasha and the Chamber of Commerce I knew we had a great chance to get to host again." Ross continued by saying," Hosting allows us to bring in various teams from around the country to our great city and also gives our softball team a chance to clinch a world series berth in front of our home crowd."
Host City Field
Central Methodist (Mo.) Fayette, Mo. Cox Stadium Complex
Cumberlands (Ky.) Williamsburg, Ky. UC Softball Complex
Georgia Gwinnett Lawrenceville, Ga. Grizzly Softball Complex
Indiana Wesleyan Marion, Ind. Sue Bowman Field
Northwestern (Iowa) Sioux Center, Iowa Open Space Park
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, Okla. Ann Lacey Stadium
Oregon Tech Klamath Falls, Ore. John & Lois Stilwell Stadium
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) San Antonio, Texas St. Mary's University Softball Field
Sciences & Arts (Okla.) Chickasha, Okla. Bill Smith Ballpark
Southern Oregon Ashland, Ore. University Softball Field
WHAT'S NEXT?
On Friday, May 2, the Drovers will begin their run at a three-peat in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament as they face No. 8 seeded Wayland Baptist University at 11:00 AM CT at Bill Smith Ballpark.
USAO and OCU will once again host the top eight teams from the SAC regular season, with the winner of each bracket meeting in Chickasha for the championship game on Sunday, May 4. For more information about the SAC Tournament CLICK HERE.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS!!
- Chickasha Chamber of Commerce
- Chicken Express
- City of Chickasha
- Standley Systems
Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!
Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.com
Live-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao/
YouTube: Drover Athletics
X/Twitter: @DroverAthletics
Facebook: @DroverAthletics
Instagram: @drover_athletics
GIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers