OCU Sports
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
OKLAHOMA CITY – Top-ranked defending national champion Oklahoma City University hosts the NAIA Softball Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket for the fifth consecutive year.
The NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket happens May 15-17 at Ann Lacy Stadium. Four teams will play a double-elimination tournament with the winner advancing to the NAIA Softball World Series on May 26-June 1 at Legends Way Fields in Clermont, Fla.
The tournament will be one of 10 staged throughout the country with NAIA World Series berths at stake. OCU and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) are the only institutions which have hosted an NAIA Softball Championship Opening Round all five years of the format.
Oklahoma City captured its ninth national championship in the 2016 World Series, advancing through the elimination bracket to win 5-0 over Saint Xavier (Ill.) on June 2 in Sioux City, Iowa. OCU leads the NAIA in World Series trips (29) and World Series victories (120). OCU has made NAIA Softball World Series appearances 24 of the past 25 years.
Phil McSpadden has a 1,594-367 record in his 30th year as OCU coach to lead college softball in victories vs. four-year competition. McSpadden has directed OCU to national titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2016.
The Stars top the NAIA in runs scored (405), hits (541), earned run average (0.74), opponents’ batting average (.143), RBIs (362) and at-bats (1,415) this season. To see how OCU compares to the rest of the NAIA statistically, click here.
Oklahoma City (49-1, 20-0 Sooner Athletic Conference) fell to West Texas A&M, ranked sixth in NCAA Division II, on Tuesday in Canyon, Texas, to end a 52-game win streak, which was an NAIA-record win streak. OCU has postponed its doubleheader vs. Texas Wesleyan originally scheduled for Friday at Ann Lacy Stadium. A makeup date is to be determined.
Ann Lacy Stadium was dedicated on April 8, 2008. The complex, located at NW 27th and Florida Avenue, features an indoor hitting facility, locker rooms, the Paul and Kim Sanders reception area and coaches offices. The stadium was completed in the summer of 2007.
2017 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round Host Sites
(Listed alphabetically)
| Host | Facility | Location | Bracket Name |
| Bowling Green Area CVB / Campbellsville % | Michael O Buchanon Park | Bowling Green, Ky. | Bowling Green Bracket |
| Columbia | Antimi Sports Complex at Cosmo Park | Columbia, Mo. | Columbia (Mo.) Bracket |
| Davenport ^ | Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Grand Rapids Bracket |
| Georgia Gwinnett ^ | Grizzly Softball Field | Lawrenceville, Ga. | Lawrenceville Bracket |
| Lindsey Wilson * | Marilyn D Sparks Park | Columbia, Ky. | Columbia (Ky.) Bracket |
| LSU Alexandria ^ | LSUA Generals Field | Alexandria, La. | Alexandria Bracket |
| Morningside ^ | Jensen Softball Complex | Sioux City, Iowa | Sioux City Bracket |
| Oklahoma City * | Ann Lacy Stadium | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City Bracket |
| Vanguard % | Vanguard Softball Field | Costa Mesa, Calif. | Costa Mesa Bracket |
| William Carey | Joseph & Nancy Fail Field | Hattiesburg, Miss. | Hattiesburg Bracket |
% Opening Round Championship first time host
* Opening Round Championship host in 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016
^ Opening Round Championship host in 2016