By Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Forty teams begin their quest to capture the 36th annual NAIA Softball World Series trophy as the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round commences from May 16 – 18 at 10 locations. This is the fourth year of the Opening Round format, as each location will host four teams in double-elimination play.

The 10 Opening Round champions will gather in Sioux City, Iowa, and Morningside College (Iowa) in the NAIA Softball World Series from May 27 – June 2. The official 10-team World Series bracket will be announced late in the day on May 18 on NAIA.org after all Opening Rounds have been completed.

On Monday, May 16, the No. 1 seed tangles with the No. 4 seed at each site while the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds battle it out. There are three games scheduled for the second day, while the championship and “if necessary” contests are slated for the third day.

The Opening Round hosts include: Auburn University at Montgomery (Ala.), Davenport University (Mich.), Georgia Gwinnett College, Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.), Louisiana State University Alexandria, Morningside College (Iowa), Oklahoma City University, Reinhardt University (Ga.), Simpson University (Calif.) and St. Gregory's University (Okla.).

Two-time defending national champion Auburn Montgomery opens up tournament play against No. 4-seed Lourdes (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. CDT in the Auburn Montgomery Bracket. The Warhawks are the only 2016 qualifier to win all three previous Opening Round championships. They bring a 48-6 season mark into the Monday contest.

Oklahoma City holds the most wins on the season with a 58-2 record. With a 9-3 Opening Round mark, the Stars also claim the most all-time Opening Round victories, followed by the eight tallied by Auburn Montgomery and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.).

The 40-team field is comprised of 31 automatic qualifiers and nine at-large berths. The 17 conferences, including the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.), will receive one berth per six teams and two berths per ten teams. In addition, two Unaffiliated Groups will receive two berths each.

For more information on the 2016 NAIA Softball National Championship, click here.