Fire Selected as Host for NAIA Opening Round

LAKELAND, Fla. - The NAIA national office announced the opening round sites for the 2025 NAIA National Tournament Opening Round in baseball today. For the first time in program history, the Fire have been selected to host at Ted A. Broer Stadium on campus.

The announcement comes following another successful regular season by the Fire, who finished with a 39–11 overall record and captured their sixth straight Sun Conference regular season title. Southeastern enters the postseason ranked sixth in the NAIA and will compete as the No. 1 seed in its Opening Round bracket.     

SEU has hosted once before, in 2021, when the team used Chain O' Lakes Park in Winter Haven to host Bryan College, Fisher College, Middle Georgia State College, and USCB in the Opening Round. The Fire won that year and advanced to the Avista-NAIA World Series, bowing out in three games.  

"We're honored to host our first Opening Round on campus and excited to provide a first-class experience for the visiting teams," said SEU Head Coach Gabe Grinder. "It's a credit to our administration and facilities staff for making this possible, and our players are excited to compete on their home field with a trip to Lewiston on the line."

SEU recently completed an $80,000 renovation project in center field to bring the outfield dimensions up to NAIA tournament specifications. The project was funded by the university with the support of Ted Broer, who was also funded the construction of the stadium in 2001. The University named it after his father in recognition of the gift.  

"I am so grateful to have a president in Dr. Kent Ingle and in administrators like Dr. Michael Steiner who support our department the way they do," said Athletics Director Drew Watson. "I am grateful to Ted Broer for his generous donation and to the facilities grounds staff for making our field a great place to call home."

The four-or-five-team Opening Round will feature a double-elimination format, with the winner advancing to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The full field and seedings for the Lakeland Bracket will be revealed during the NAIA Baseball Selection Show on Wednesday, May 7.

Hosting the Opening Round not only gives the Fire home-field advantage but also underscores Southeastern's continued role as one of the premier baseball programs in the NAIA. SEU has advanced to the World Series six times in program history, winning the title in 2018 and 2022. The Fire are looking to make another deep postseason run under first-year head coach Grinder.

The tournament will take place May 12-15. Game times, ticket information, and team previews will be released following the bracket reveal.

For the NAIA's release on the Opening Round sites, please click here.