| Year: | 2023 |
| Conference: | NAIA |
| Shortconference: | NAIA |
| Teams: | 46 |
| Ballpark: | Harris Field |
| City: | Lewiston, Idaho |
| Champions: | Westmont (CA) |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Coach: | Tyler LaTorre |
| Mvp: | Isaiah Thomas |
| Mvpteam: | Lewis–Clark State |
The 2023 NAIA baseball tournament was the 66th edition of the NAIA baseball championship. The 46-team tournament began on May 15 with Opening Round games across ten different sites and concluded with the 2023 NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho that began on May 26 and ended on June 2.
The Westmont (CA) defeated host Lewis–Clark State in a winner-take-all championship game 7–6 to capture their first national title in program history.
Lewis–Clark State's Isaiah Thomas won tournament MVP honors. Thomas became the first player since Oklahoma City's Chris Bradshaw in 1998 to win the tournament MVP on a non-championship winning team.
The 46 participating teams were selected from all eligible NAIA teams. The World Series host and 31 teams were awarded automatic bids as either champions and/or runners-up of their conferences, and 14 teams were selected at-large by the National Selection Committee. Teams were then placed into one of ten pre-determined Opening Round sites, with six sites consisting of five teams and four sites consisting of four teams, each of which is conducted via a double-elimination tournament. The winners of each of the Opening Round sites participated in the NAIA World Series.
A total of 46 teams entered the tournament, with Lewis–Clark State receiving an automatic bid into the Opening Round as World Series host. 31 automatic bids were determined by either winning their conference's regular season championship, conference tournament, and/or conference tournament runner-up. The other 14 bids were at-large, with selections determined by the NAIA Baseball National Selection Committee.
On May 1, the NAIA announced the ten opening round host sites, which were played from May 15–18.[1]
Source:[2]
| School | Conference | Record | Berth | Last NAIA Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley (CA) | 30–14 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Santa Barbara Bracket) | ||
| 45–8 | Tournament champion | 2022 NAIA World Series | |||
| British Columbia | 34–19 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Lewiston Bracket) | ||
| Bryan (TN) | 35–19 | Tournament runner-up | 2022 (Upland Bracket) | ||
| Columbia (MO) | 38–13 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Upland Bracket) | ||
| Concordia (MI) | 46–8 | Regular season champion | First appearance | ||
| Concordia (NE) | 38–15 | Tournament runner-up | 2022 (Bellevue Bracket) | ||
| Cumberlands (KY) | 46–7 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Kingsport Bracket) | ||
| Dillard (LA) | 22–28 | Tournament champion | First appearance | ||
| Doane (NE) | Great Plains | 42–10 | Regular season champion | 2022 (Lewiston Bracket) | |
| Fisher (MA) | 29–23 | Tournament runner-up | 2022 (Shreveport Bracket) | ||
| Freed–Hardeman (TN) | Mid-South | 37–19 | Tournament runner-up | 2022 (Oklahoma City Bracket) | |
| Georgia Gwinnett | Continental | 47–5 | Tournament champion | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| Grand View (IA) | 34–12 | Tournament champion | 2015 (Grand Rapids Bracket) | ||
| Houston–Victoria (TX) | 26–25 | Tournament champion | 2014 (Jackson Bracket) | ||
| Indiana Wesleyan | 36–18–1 | Tournament champion | 2021 (Marion Bracket) | ||
| Kansas Wesleyan | 42–13 | Regular season champion | 2022 (Oklahoma City Bracket) | ||
| Lewis-Clark State (ID) | Cascade | 30–16 | World Series host | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| LSU–Shreveport | Red River | 44–8 | Regular season champion | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| Madonna (MI) | Wolverine-Hoosier | 35–15 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Kingsport Bracket) | |
| McPherson (KS) | Kansas | 36–14 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Miami Gardens Bracket) | |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Heart | 30–25 | Tournament runner-up | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| Midway (KY) | 27–22 | Regular season champion | 2017 (Lima Bracket) | ||
| Mobile (AL) | 35–13 | Tournament champion | 2019 (Williamsburg Bracket) | ||
| Oklahoma City | 30–19 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Oklahoma City Bracket) | ||
| Point Park (PA) | River States | 36–15 | Tournament champion | 2022 (Lawrenceville Bracket) | |
| Southeastern (FL) | 52–4 | Tournament champion | 2022 NAIA World Series | ||
| Saint Xavier (IL) | Chicagoland | 31–25 | Tournament champion | 2021 (Bellevue Bracket) | |
| St. Francis (IL) | 25–26 | Regular season champion | 2015 (Montgomery Bracket) | ||
| Taylor (IN) | Crossroads | 37–15 | Regular season champion | 2022 (Upland Bracket) | |
| Union (KY) | Appalachian | 30–17–1 | Tournament champion | 2019 (Lawrenceville Bracket) | |
| Westmont (CA) | 40–8 | Tournament champion | 2022 NAIA World Series |
| School | Conference | Record | Last NAIA Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34–16 | 2013 (Daytona Beach Bracket) | |||
| Benedictine–Mesa (AZ) | 42–12 | 2021 (O'Fallon Bracket) | ||
| Central Methodist (MO) | 34–17 | 2021 NAIA World Series | ||
| Cumberland (TN) | 35–13–1 | 2018 (Upland Bracket) | ||
| Hope International (CA) | 33–9 | 2022 (Lawrenceville Bracket) | ||
| Missouri Baptist | 42–7 | 2017 NAIA World Series | ||
| Morningside (IA) | 36–16 | 2016 (Hutchinson Bracket) | ||
| Reinhardt (GA) | 33–18 | 2022 (Montgomery Bracket) | ||
| Science & Arts (OK) | 34–18 | 2022 (Shreveport Bracket) | ||
| Tennessee Wesleyan | Appalachian | 42–9 | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| Texas Wesleyan | Sooner | 36–14 | 2019 (Henderson Bracket) | |
| Webber International (FL) | The Sun | 40–15 | 2022 NAIA World Series | |
| William Carey (MS) | 44–9 | 2022 (Lawrenceville Bracket) | ||
| Vanugard (CA) | Golden State | 33–16 | 2022 (Lewiston Bracket) |
Source:[3]
Hosted by Bellevue (NE) at Don Roddy Field
Hosted by Central Methodist (MO) at Estes Baseball Field
Hosted by William Carey (MS) at Milton Wheeler Field
Hosted by Visit Kingsport at Hunter Wright Stadium
Hosted by Georgia Gwinnett at Grizzly Baseball Complex
Hosted by Lewis–Clark State (ID) at Harris Field
Hosted by Westmont (CA) at Russell Carr Field
Hosted by LSU–Shreveport at Pilot Field
Hosted by Taylor (IN) at Winterholter Field
Hosted by Cumberlands (KY) at Doyle Buhl Stadium
The NAIA World Series was held at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho.
| School | Conference | Record | Head Coach | Bracket | Previous NAIA WS Appearances | Best NAIA WS Finish | NAIA WS Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue (NE) | 48–8 | Duane Monlux | Bellevue | 15 | 1st | 26–29 | ||
| Cumberlands (KY) | 49–7 | Brad Shelton | Williamsburg | none | none | 0–0 | ||
| Georgia Gwinnett | 50–6 | Jeremy Sheetinger | Lawrenceville | 5 | 1st | 11–8 | ||
| Indiana Wesleyan | 39–18–1 | Rich Benjamin | Kingsport | none | none | 0–0 | ||
| Lewis–Clark State (ID) | 33–16 | Jake Taylor | Lewiston | 40 | 1st | 152–54 | ||
| MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | 34–26 | Ryan Thompson | Shreveport | 1 | T-9th | 0–2 | ||
| Southeastern (FL) | 55–4 | Adrian Dinkel | Fayette | 4 | 1st | 13–4 | ||
| Taylor (IN) | 34–26 | Kyle Gould | Upland | 1 | T-5th | 1–2 | ||
| Westmont (CA) | 43–8 | Santa Barbara | 1 | T-9th | 0–2 | |||
| William Carey (MS) | 47–9 | Bobby Halford | Hattiesburg | 4 | 1st | 7–5 |
Source:[4]
All game times are listed in Pacific Daylight Time .[5]
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