Yes, it’s that time of year again! The NAIA baseball tournament is getting underway today! Here are a list of the teams from each bracket in their seeding order, plus my picks to win each bracket:
RIVERSIDE BRACKET – 1. Cal Baptist Lancers (My pick to win this bracket – sometimes chalk is right) 2. British Columbia Thunderbirds 3. Concordia (CA) Eagles 4. Cal State San Marcos Cougars 5. St Thomas Seahawks
DAYTONA BEACH BRACKET – 1. Embry-Riddle Eagles 2. Brewton-Parker Barons (My pick to win this bracket) 3. Campbellsville Tigers 4. William Carey Crusaders 5. Edward Waters Tigers (Have I mentioned I think there are way too many teams called Tigers in college sports?)
OKLAHOMA CITY BRACKET – 1. Oklahoma City Stars 2. Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (My pick to win this bracket) 3. Belhaven Blazers 4. UTB-TSC Scorpions 5. Doane Tigers (see above)
JOLIET BRACKET – 1. Oklahoma Baptist Bison 2. Biola (CA) Eagles 3. St Francis (IL) Fighting Saints 4. Robert Morris (IL) Eagles (Way too many Eagles too) 5. Jamestown College Jimmies (My ballsy – or insane- upset pick to win this bracket)
PADUCAH BRACKET – 1. Cumberland Bulldogs (The reigning champs of NAIA baseball and home of THE Ron Pavan! Obviously, my pick to win this bracket. PAVAN POWER!) 2. SPSU Running Hornets 3. Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs (Another overused name in college sports) 4. Bellevue Bruins 5. William Jewell Cardinals
MONTGOMERY BRACKET – 1. LSU-Shreveport Pilots (As in riverboat pilots) 2. AUM Senators (My pick to win this bracket. Sorry Pilots! I still love you!) 3. Union (TN) Bulldogs 4. William Woods Owls 5. Huntington Foresters
CLEVELAND BRACKET – 1. Lee Flames (My last time going with chalk – I swear!) 2. Missouri Baptist Spartans 3. Culver-Stockton Wildcats (And we finally have all four Most Overused Nicknames In College Sports present and accounted for!) 4. Indiana Tech Warriors 5. Shawnee State Bears
KINGSPORT BRACKET – 1. Union Bulldogs 2. Faulkner Eagles 3. IUS Grenadiers (My pick to win this bracket) 4. Iowa Wesleyan Tigers 5. Mt Vernon Nazarene Cougars (Ohhhh! If only they were called the Wildcats we could have had one region with representatives of all four most overused nicknames!)
LUBBOCK BRACKET – 1. LCU Chapparrals 2. Rogers State Hillcats (My pick to win this bracket) 3. Northwood (TX) Knights 4. Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes (My heart wanted me to take them as a Dark Horse) 5. Hastings Broncos
For video links to webcasts of the games throughout the day click here: http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/2011OR.html
Balladeer's Blog 
yay! Somebody covering the NAIA! Awesome!
Thank you very much!
Cal Baptist moved up to D2 didn’t they?
Yes, a few years back, now.