KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tennessee Southern softball is headed back to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the second consecutive season, earning an at-large bid into the 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship field.

The Firehawks earned the No. 4 seed in the Lindsey Wilson Opening Round bracket and will open postseason play against No. 5 seed Johnson. The winner will advance to face host and No. 1 seed Lindsey Wilson.

Also in the bracket, No. 2 seed Missouri Baptist will face No. 3 seed Indiana Wesleyan in the other opening-round matchup.

UT Southern returns to the national tournament after another historic season that included a national ranking, a 30-win campaign, and one of the best starts in program history.

The appearance marks back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the Firehawks after the program returned to the national stage in 2025 for the first time in a decade. Last season, UT Southern entered the Fayette Bracket as the No. 5 seed and made an impressive postseason run, battling through the elimination bracket before falling in the opening-round advancement game to host Central Methodist.

This season, the Firehawks improved their positioning in the national field, earning the No. 4 seed and another opportunity to compete for a trip to the NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga.

The Southern States Athletic Conference placed five teams into the 48-team national field, tied for the most among conferences nationally. UT Southern joins Mobile, Faulkner, William Carey, and Blue Mountain Christian as SSAC representatives in the tournament field.

Opening Round play begins May 11 at campus sites across the country, with winners advancing to the NAIA Softball World Series.

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