West Grouping Member LCSC to Host NAIA Baseball World Series Through 2019
By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information
Note: LCSC competes in the NAIA West Grouping for baseball along with College of Idaho, Corban, British Columbia, Oregon Tech and Simpson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is excited to announce a three-year contract extension with Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) that will keep the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, through 2019. The 2016 championship, which acts as the final year of a three-year agreement that originated in 2014, will mark the 16th-consecutive season the NAIA has made the trip to Harris Field and 25th all-time.
The streak of 16-straight seasons of hosting an NAIA National Championship is second to only the City of Sioux City, Iowa, which will host its 18th-consecutive Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship in March.
“We’re excited to continue the tradition of the NAIA World Series at Harris Field,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. “Lewis-Clark State and the Lewiston community have rallied around the event for more than 20 years, making it one of the premier, and most coveted, NAIA championships. The experience provided to our student-athletes and coaches is tremendous, and is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the event. We look forward to expanding on that experience over the next three years.”
The first year of the agreement will see the 10-team, double elimination event running from May 26 – June 2, 2017, while year two is scheduled for May 25 – June 1, 2018 and year three is set for May 24 – 31, 2019. The World Series field is made up of host Lewis-Clark State and nine teams that qualify by winning one of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Rounds.
Harris Field, which rests on the south side of Lewis-Clark State’s campus, was constructed in 1970 and is named after prominent Lewiston businessman and baseball enthusiast Loyd Harris. Prior to the 2015 season, the playing surface and dugouts were reconstructed to insure a championship quality facility. In 24 years of championship baseball, Harris Field has welcomed more than 800,000 fans to the NAIA World Series, including a record 45,475 people in 2008 – an average attendance of more than 2,300 per game.
The 2015 championship finale saw Lewis-Clark State score nine unanswered runs over the final four innings en route to its NAIA record 17th national championship. The Warriors, who entered the event as the No. 4 seed, downed title game newcomer and No. 9 seed St. Thomas (Fla.), 10-7.
“LCSC and the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley community are proud to continue our long tradition of hosting the Avista-NAIA World Series – one of the finest collegiate championships in the nation,” said J. Anthony Fernandez, Lewis-Clark State President.
Founded in 1893, Lewis-Clark State is a public undergraduate college with a three-part mission of academic programs, professional-technical programs and community programs. The institution has an enrollment of approximately 3,600 students representing 22 states and 34 countries. Lewis-Clark State sponsors 12 varsity sports – baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and volleyball.
The NAIA has sponsored baseball since 1957, when its first championship in the sport was held in Alpine, Texas. Currently, 183 NAIA institutions sponsor the sport for baseball. For a complete list of participating schools, click here.
Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall educational experience. In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character-building aspects of the sport. Through the Champions of Character program, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
To learn more about NAIA baseball, click here.