PINEVILLE, La. (WNTZ) — Louisiana Christian University’s baseball team is bound for Kingsport, Tennessee, as their 2025 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round destination was officially announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Wildcats, earning the No. 5 seed for the second consecutive year, will compete in a regional pod hosted by Visit Kingsport and held at Hunter Wright Stadium—home of the Appalachian League’s Kingsport Axmen. The trip marks a longer journey than last year’s regional in Lawrenceville, Georgia, requiring nearly 12 hours of travel by bus.

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LCU opens regional play at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET) on Monday against fourth-seeded Indiana Tech out of Fort Wayne. The winner will advance to face the No. 1 seed and nationally third-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs at 5 p.m. CT later the same day.

The rest of the bracket includes the second seed and receiving-votes Cumberland University (Tenn.) Phoenix and the third-seeded Columbia College (Mo.) Cougars. This marks the first time in the Wildcats’ 87-year baseball history that they will face any of the programs in the regional field.

LCU, led by head coach Mike Byrnes, will look to advance beyond the opening round for the first time since joining the NAIA. Live stats and streaming links for all games will be made available through the team’s official channels.