Watch this site for updates on sites for each bracket and live video. Click here for the NAIA's schedule and results page.

The NAIA has announced that the agreement with Lewis-Clark State for hosting the Baseball National Championship has been extended for three more years, and the championship tournament will be held at Harris Field in Lewiston, ID through 2016. The dates have already been set: May 23–30, 2014, May 22–29, 2015, and May 27–June 3, 2016. The field will continue to be ten teams, and Lewis-Clark State will continue to get an automatic bid.

Click here to read the NAIA's press release.

The 2013 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round will take place May 9-13, at the following locations:

Each of these locations will host a five-team double-elimination tournament. The nine winners will go to the Baseball National Championship tournament in Lewiston, ID May 24-31.

The 57^th NAIA baseball season is already under way, and the Golden State Athletic Conference is already playing conference matchups. The season gets going in earnest this weekend. Defending champion Tennessee Wesleyan visits #9 Faulkner, #2 LSU-Shreveport visits William Carey, Northwestern Ohio visits #3 Lee, #23 Doane visits #4 Oklahoma City, #5 Rogers State visits Arlington Baptist, #20 Georgetown College (KY) visits #7 Embry-Riddle, and #10 Oklahoma Baptist visits Southwestern Oklahoma.

Here is an evaluation of the top 10 teams according to the pre-season coaches' poll:

#1 – Tennessee Wesleyan: Pre-season All-American OF Jake Stone (.407, 13 home runs) is back. He had a great summer, led the Coastal Plain League in hitting with a .375 average. Other returnees are OF-DH Drew Levi (.326, 12 HR), OF Travis Burnside (.284), RHP Corey Rhoney (10-0, 2.31 ERA, 64 K), and LHP Josh Coller (10-2, 3.02 ERA, 99 K). The Bulldogs also have a prize recruit, OF Kendall Radcliffe, selected in the 25th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Games to watch: at Faulkner Feb. 2, at Auburn-Montgomery Feb. 3, Lee Feb. 12, Lindsey Wilson Feb. 20, Georgetown C. March 19, Lee March 27, Cumberland March 29-30, at Georgetown C. April 3, at Lee April 9

#2 – LSU-Shreveport: OF Kyle Pearson (.353, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 1.000 fielding percentage) is a pre-season All-American. Other returnees are 1B Greg Friesen (.391, 15 HR, 68 RBI), OF Kade Billeaudeaux (.380), RHP Jason Mouton (1-0, 3.60 ERA), RHP Ben Suit (2-0, 2.25 ERA), LHP Jake Byrd (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and LHP Caleb Olsen (0-0, 0.00 ERA). C Jared Vial is a newcomer with the Pilots. Games to watch: Houston-Victoria Feb. 8-9, at Houston-Victoria Feb. 12, Southern Arkansas Feb. 19, Texas-Tyler March 19, at Southern Arkansas April 2, at Centenary April 17, Centenary April 23

John Verhoeven, Head Coach of the Biola Eagles for 16 seasons, has resigned, effective at the end of the 2013 season.

Verhoeven is a highly-regarded coach at a highly-regarded program. His record is 521-275-6, and he had only one losing season. He took the Eagles to five Golden State Athletic Conference championships, and to the Baseball National Championship in 2001, 2003, and 2005.

Verhoeven played four American League seasons as a right-handed pitcher with the Angels, White Sox, and Twins. He had a career ERA of 3.76.

Official Biola University press release: Baseball Coach John Verhoeven to Resign at End of Season

The 2012-13 NAIA Coaches' Preseason poll, released November 13:

First place votes: Tennessee Wesleyan 17, Lee 2

Preseason All-Americans

It's time for me to move on. I've been retired since February, and I'm moving permanently to Guanajuato, Mexico at the end of September. Guanajuato is located 532 miles from Brownsville, TX, where the nearest NAIA school with a baseball team is located.

Yes, I could keep this site going, but I believe that first-hand information is far more valuable than just re-posting information from press releases.

So, I would like to turn courtesyrunner.com over to someone who shares my belief that there are stories in NAIA baseball that deserve to be told. If you think that courtesyrunner.com is a cool name for a website, just go to the contact form on this site, send me a message, and we'll discuss it further. I can even make the hosting space available for free.

Six NAIA schools with baseball teams will the playing their final NAIA season this spring.

The most prominent departure is Lee. Their record for the past six seasons under Head Coach Mark Brew has been astonishing: 326-771-1, a trip to the Baseball National Championship every season, and they came within one out of winning the championship in 2008.

Lee also has successful in women's basketball and soccer, and volleyball. However, until recently, they had some difficulty attracting press attention in southeastern Tennessee, and the "NCAA brand" was a factor in their decision. Also a factor was the loss of traditional opponents, Union U. (TN), Berry, and Shorter to Division II.

Lee will become a member of the Gulf South Conference.

Lubbock Christian has a well-funded baseball program. They won the National Championship in 1983 and 2009, and were runners-up in 2011. They will be competing in the Heartland Conference.