TOURNAMENT LINKS: Upland Bracket 2025 | NAIA Tournament Central | Tickets | Watch Live | Live Stats | Photos
UPLAND, Ind. - It will be a sea of purple this week in the Upland Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Taylor University.
Three of the four institutions playing in the tournament use purple as their primary color (Taylor, KWU, Bellevue) including a first round match-up between Kansas Wesleyan and Bellevue (Neb.).
Games begin on Monday, May 12 and run through May 15 at Winterholter Field at Taylor University. KWU takes on No, 17 ranked and No. 2 seed in the bracket, Bellevue at Noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central, followed by top-seeded Taylor taking on fourth-seeded Grand View at 4 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Central.
Tickets are available for purchase online at TaylorTrojans.com/UplandBracket25. Day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for students ages 18 and under, while tournament passes are $25. Tickets can also be purchased on-site with cash only.
Every game will be streamed live at no cost on the Taylor Athletics YouTube page and live stats will be available on the NAIA Live Stats page through StatBroadcast
Kansas Wesleyan earned the spot in the Opening Round after sharing the KCAC Regular Season Championship with Oklahoma Wesleyan with a 30-6 record in conference play. The Coyotes continued on to win the KCAC Tournament with a 7-4 win over Tabor College in the championship game. It's KWU's second KCAC Tournament win since 2022.
KWU is making its fourth straight appearance in the Opening Round and seventh appearance all-time. KWU earned its first NAIA World Series berth in 2024 winning the Shreveport Bracket. KWU has twice been one win away from the World Series in Opening Round play in 2009 and 2011.
The Coyotes hit a collective .306 as a team, which ranks No. 54 nationally. KWU has 514 hits overall which ranks No. 43 nationally. KWU's team slugging average of .556 ranks No. 14 in the NAIA. KWU ranks No. 8 in the NAIA in homeruns with 93 and No. 11 in total extra base hits with 215. KWU ranks No. 6 in the NAIA in walks with 312.
Tyler Favretto leads the Coyote hitters with a .432 batting average and is tied for the NAIA lead in walks with 61 on the season. He leads the NAIA in on-base percentage at .591 and has a .781 slugging average highlighted by 14 homeruns and a total of 34 extra base hits.
Wesleyan's pitching staff is anchored by Brett Maddock with an 11-2 record overall, tossing 98.1 innings and a 4.03 ERA. Maddock ranks No. 71 in the NAIA in WHIP at 1.37 among all pitchers who have thrown at least one inning per team game. He ranks No. 30 in the NAIA in strikeouts with 74.
Taylor University Trojans enter the Opening Round with a No. 9 NAIA ranking in the final poll and a 46-9 record. Taylor won the Crossroads League Regular Season and Tournament titles and are making their fourth straight appearance in the Opening Round.
As a team, Taylor hits .335 and has hit 81 homeruns and boasts a .553 slugging average. Taylor ranks third in the NAIA in walks as a team with 354 which is third best in the NAIA.
Kaleb Kolpien leads Taylor with a .428 batting average with 92 hits on the season and 70 RBI.
Gabel Pentecost leads the Taylor pitching staff with a 2.75 ERA and a 12-1 record. In 75 innings pitched. He has a 1.06 WHIP and 108 strikeouts on the season which ranks fifth in the NAIA.
Bellevue University Bruins enter the Opening Round coming off of winning the North Star Athletic Association Regular Season and Conference Championships. Bellevue is ranked No. 17 in the NAIA Final Poll, and is 40-13 heading into Monday's first round games.
The Bruins hit .324 as a team which ranks No. 35 in the NAIA. They carry a .553 slugging average and have hit 91 homeruns on the season which ranks No. 9 in the NAIA. Their 563 hits ranks No. 16 in the NAIA.
Bellevue's pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.47 on the season, ranking No. 14 nationally. Their 1.38 WHIP ranks No. 14 nationally.
Steven Elsner leads Bellevue with a .378 batting average and a .835 slugging average. His 23 homeruns ranks fourth best in the NAIA. Scott Hansen leads Bellevue with 72 hits.
Parker McMan has Bellevue's best ERA among starters at 2.38 in 79.1 innings, while Jace Wessels has the team best ERA at 2.25 in 60 innings, 14 appearances and seven starts. McMan leads the Bruins in strikeouts with 77.
Grand View comes into the Opening Round as the only school that was not in the 2024 Opening Round field. The Vikings got an at-large bid this season after winning the Heart of America Regular Season Championship.
The Vikings hit .358 as a team which ranks No. 7 in the NAIA and leads all teams in the bracket. They slug at .449 which ranks No. 20 in the NAIA. Their 61 homeruns ranks No. 34 in the NAIA.
Erik Broekemeier leads Grand View with a .478 average, which is fourth best in the NAIA. He leads the team in slugging average at .770 and is second in RBI with 50.
Grand View ranks No. 32 in the NAIA in ERA at 5.18 in 323 innings pitched. Their team WHIP of 1.52 ranks No. 52 in the NAIA.
Kaleb Krier leads the Vikings in ERA among starters at 2.87 in 62.2 innings pitched. Devin Doyle has nine saves as Grand View's closer in 18.2 innings and 17 appearances. Krier's 1.05 WHIP leads the team.