Fayette, Mo. - After a remarkable regular season and postseason run, the No. 4 Central Methodist baseball program earned the No. 1 seed in the O'Fallon bracket, as part of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round next weekend at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Mo.

This is the first time the Eagles have served as the host of an Opening Round, and their sixth national tournament appearance in program history. Central enters the tournament with a 43-6 overall record, earning an automatic berth to the dance after winning the Heart Tournament Championship. 

CMU is joined in the bracket by No. 2 William Carey (Miss.), No. 3 Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.), No. 4 McPherson, and No. 5 Doane (Neb.). 

William Carey won the Southern State Conference tournament with an overall record of 34-10. The Redhawks of Benedictine Mesa earned the No. 3 seed after securing an at-large berth, finishing the year with a 34-14 mark. 

McPherson also earned an at-large berth with an overall record of 36-13. Doane (Neb.) rounds out the field of five, securing an automatic berth as the regular season runners up in the GPAC. 

As the No. 1 seed, Central has earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of McPherson vs. Doane at 6:00 p.m., Monday, May 17. The bracket is double elimination and will be played over the course of three days, with an if-necessary game to be played on Thursday, May 20. 

The winner of the bracket will advance to the 64th annual NAIA Baseball World Series, set to take place May 28-June 4 in Lewiston, Idaho.

All games will be streamed live on the Heart Conference Network and fans may also follow along with live stats here. To learn more about purchasing tickets for the Opening Round, please visit the CMU Ticket page.  

For more information on the Opening Round, please visit the O'Fallon Tournament Central Page. 

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