The USCB baseball team’s resurgent season isn’t over yet — the Sand Sharks are back in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
After a tremendous runner-up finish at the Sun Conference Championship, Ted Falkner’s squad earned an at-large bid Thursday to the 2021 NAIA Opening Round, its first tourney appearance since 2016.
The Sand Sharks (31-21) notched the No.4 seed in the Lakeland Bracket in Winter Haven, Florida, and will begin their postseason run Monday against fifth-seeded Fisher (Mass.). The two teams are joined in the double-elimination bracket by third-seeded Bryan (Tenn.), No.2 Middle Georgia State, and top-seeded Southeastern, which defeated USCB in two straight games to capture the Sun Conference tournament crown.
The Sand Sharks, though, are one of only two teams to earn a pair of victories against the second-ranked Fire along with conference mate St. Thomas.
The Sand Sharks make their NAIA Opening Round return after a remarkable first season under Falkner, surpassing the 30-win mark for the first time since 2017 and winning 11 of their last 15 games. The winner of the five-team bracket advances to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Id. beginning on May 28.
By Wes Kerr