Posted: May 06, 2026

USAO Claims Seventh Consecutive No. 1 Seed For the 2026 NAIA Softball Opening Round

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday, the NAIA announced that the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (47-9, 33-3 SAC) would be a No. 1 seed for the 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round for the seventh season in a row. The Drovers will host an Opening Round site for the sixth season in a row and will welcome No. 2 LSU Alexandria, No. 3 College of Idaho, No. 4 Morningside University (Iowa), and No. 5 Friends University (Kan.).

Host sites were selected by the NAIA National Office in consultation with the National Selection Committee. Selections were based on a combination of geography, facility quality, and host readiness, with institutions submitting bids by the April 15 deadline.

Each Opening Round will feature a double-elimination format, with eight sites hosting five-team brackets and two sites hosting four-team brackets. When the dust settles, 10 teams will punch their ticket to South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus for the 2026 NAIA Softball World Series, beginning May 21.

The hosting bid is the sixth 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. Grand View (Iowa) advanced to the world series out of our bracket last season.

RECENT HISTORY

USAO has recent history with three of the four teams traveling to town for the Opening Round. The Drovers hosted College of Idaho in the 2022 NAIA Opening round and hosted both LSUA and Friends in the 2024 NAIA Opening Round.

#1 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF OKLAHOMA – 47-9, 33-3 SAC

The Drovers earned an automatic bid to the tournament as the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season champions, as well as being the host. They were also ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 poll of the season, released on April 29. In total, USAO is making its 13^th appearance in the national tournament, and they are aiming to advance to the NAIA World Series for the ninth time in program history.

Thus far through the 2026 season, Coach Wallis has led the Drovers to a 47-9 record, as well as the SAC regular season championship. The Drovers have played 15 games against opponents that are ranked in the top 25 poll and has put together an 10-5 record in those high-quality matchups, including a 7-2 clip against the current top 10.

This morning (May 6), the Sooner Athletic Conference announced their annual softball awards, and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma was very well represented. Head Coach Jadyn Wallis was tabbed as the conference's coach of the year for the sixth time in her career, and Aubree Ferguson claimed her first SAC Pitcher of the Year award. It also marks the ninth year in a row that a Drover has claimed the award given to the conference's best pitcher, with Emily Cerny winning five of the awards followed by Sophie Williams' trio.

Furthermore, 10 players earned spots on the All-Conference teams, and Leighanne Eaton claimed the SAC Gold Glove Award at catcher.

#2 LOUISIANA STATE UNIV. ALEXANDRIA – record: 34-16, 23-4 RRAC

LSUA was the regular season champion of the Red River Athletic Conference and qualifies for the NAIA tournament with an at-large bid. The Opening Round appearance is the ninth for the Generals, and they have advanced to the World Series on three occasions (2014, 2015, 2017).

When USAO hosted LSUA in 2024, the two teams did not face each other, with the Generals being eliminated before a possible matchup. USAO took down Midland (Neb.) prior to another third-place finish at the World Series.

#3 COLLEGE OF IDAHO – record: 34-20, 13-12 CCC

The Coyotes were the runners-up in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament and qualify for the NAIA Opening Round for the ninth time in program history.

In the 2022 Opening Round, the Drovers defeated College of Idaho twice, by scores of 2-0 and 5-2, en route to a to a third-place finish at the NAIA World Series.

#4 MORNINGSIDE - record: 30-18, 17-5 GPAC

The Mustangs are making their 16^th Opening Round appearance, and they qualify automatically as the runner-up of the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament.

#5 FRIENDS UNIVERSITY (Kan.) - record: 31-20, 17-9 KCAC

The Falcons are making their fifth national tournament appearance with an auto-bid as the runner-up in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. USAO hosted Friends in the 2024 Opening Round, but the teams did not face each other. The Falcons did face LSUA in the 2024 Opening Round and the Generals came away with a 1-0 victory.

Despite not facing each other in the postseason, the Drovers and Falcons have met 19 times in the regular season, with USAO having won 13 of those matchups.

**MORE INFO**

SPECTATOR PARKING: Parking is FREE at Bill Smith Ballpark. Spectators can park in lot beyond the fence in left field.

SPECTATOR ENTRANCE: Gates will open to spectators one hour prior to the first game each day. The ONLY entrance for spectators will be the main entrance on the third base side of the stadium.

TICKETING:

Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate. Ticket prices are as follows:

ADULTS: $10

Military, first responders, senior citizens: $5

18 AND UNDER: $5

12 AND UNDER: FREE

USAO FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS: FREE

LIVE VIDEO:

Live HD broadcast & play-by-play will be available on the URBAN EDGE NETWORK, as well as the SAC Sports Network, FREE of charge.

Stay up to date on all USAO Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!

Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.com

Live-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao