Talladega, SUNO head to NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round
NEW ORLEANS - May 7, 2025 - The 2025 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) regular season and 2025 Hope Credit Union Baseball champion Talladega College's and HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship finalist Southern University at New Orleans' sites and opponents were announced for the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Baseball National Championship Opening Round during its selection show Wednesday. The Tornadoes earned the No. 4 seed in the Lawrenceville, Georgia Regional. The Knights garnered the No. 5 seed in the Shreveport Regional.
The schools will compete in a double-elimination tournament from May 12-15 with the winner advancing to the 2025 NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. Game Times and streaming information is to be announced and can be found on the NAIA Opening Round website.
Talladega College (42-12) opens its regional against No. 5 seed Saint Xavier University (Ill.). The winner will face No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett College on May 12 while the loser takes on the loser between No. 2 seed Keiser University and No. 3 seed the University of Houston-Victoria on Wednesday. For the second straight season Talladega dominated the conference, winning nine of 10 series. It outscored its opponents 43-11 in the tournament. The Tornadoes set a program record with 42 wins. They make their sixth NAIA Opening Round Appearance.
Southern University at New Orleans (24-25) opens against No. 4 seed Ottawa University (Kan.). The winner will face top seed and No. 1 Louisiana State University in Shreveport in the evening on May 12. The loser will take on the loser between No. 2 seed Mid-America Christian University (Okla.) and Johnson University (Tenn.). The Knights contended for the regular season title until they suffered a late season slide. They bounced back in the tournament beating No. 3 Stillman College twice and No. 2 Wiley University. Southern University at New Orleans, which is in their second season, set a program record with 24 wins. This is the Knights' first appearance.
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About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.