NAIA SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES
May 21-27 | South Commons Complex | Columbus, Georgia
Bracket | Tournament Central | Live Streams
1 p.m. PT Thursday – (3) SOU vs. (6) Cumberlands (Ky.)

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Southern Oregon brings the most NAIA World Series experience, the country's longest winning streak at 15 games, and the mystique of four national championships this week to the South Commons Complex. In other words, the target is squarely on the Raiders' backs.

Seeking their fifth title since 2019 and first in an even-numbered year, the No. 3-seeded Raiders (44-13 overall) begin the 10-team, double-elimination tournament against No. 6 seed Cumberlands (Ky.) (40-19) at 4 p.m. local time and 1 p.m. PT on Thursday.

They're back in the World Series for the eighth time in nine years. Among the other teams in this year's field, only Marian (Ind.), which has yet to log a top-four finish, has reached the final site more than four times in that period. Behind World Series MVP Ayla Davies, last year's Raiders became the first team ever to take the title with seven consecutive elimination-game victories after dropping their opener. The shortest path to a championship is four straight wins.

WHERE TO WATCH: The SOU Staff Assembly Service Committee is hosting a watch party on Thursday in Student Union Room 319. The game will also be shown in Ashland at Oak Tree Northwest Bar & Grill and Red Zone Sports Bar N' Grill. Fans have two options to watch at home: on Urban Edge Network (which includes in-game ads) through the UEN app or on a desktop at urbanedgenetwork.net; and on the NAIA Network (which does not have in-game ads but requires free registration) through the NAIA Network app or on a desktop at naianetwork.com.

LEADING OFF: Cumberlands went 4-1 in the Opening Round and took three consecutive elimination games to win the Williamsburg (Ky.) Bracket as a No. 3-seeded host, clinching its fourth World Series appearance in a row. The Patriots placed second in the Mid-South Conference with a 12-6 record and were No. 17 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll after opening at No. 7. They profile as one of the more light-hitting teams still alive, batting .311 with an average of 4.5 runs per game, though they have an elite slugger in senior catcher Grace Ross (.412, 18 HR, 19 2B, 60 RBI) who can carry an offense. SOU and Cumberlands met twice last year: in an 8-6 SOU non-conference victory, and a 3-0 decision at the World Series in which the Raiders eliminated the top-seeded Patriots with Ayla Davies' two-hit shutout. Jessica Cord was the pitcher of decision in the first matchup and has transformed into the NAIA's biggest workhorse this year, standing at 22-12 with a 1.69 ERA, 24 complete games and 10 shutouts.

IF THEY WIN: The SOU-Cumberlands winner gets a day off before returning to play at 1 p.m. PT Saturday against No. 2 seed Southeastern (Fla.) (48-8), No. 7 seed College of Idaho (37-20), or No. 10 seed British Columbia (31-22). The Raiders are well acquainted with the Cascade Conference foes of that group, who will meet on Thursday for the right to play Southeastern on Friday. SEU, which was No. 3 in the final NAIA Top 25, captured the Sun Conference championship with a 22-2 record and got out of its own Lakeland (Fla.) Bracket in the Opening Round by limiting its opponents to six runs in five games.  The Fire have an NAIA-leading team ERA of 1.16 behind Edan Playa (17-4, 0.95 ERA) and Maria Zelenka (17-3, 1.20 ERA), against whom opponents have batted a paltry .193.

IF THEY LOSE: The SOU-Cumberlands loser will play its first elimination game at 10 a.m. PT Friday against the loser of the College of Idaho-British Columbia game. The Raiders have taken four of five from C of I this season and most recently run-ruled the Yotes in the championship game of the CCC Tournament. The Raiders split a four-game regular season series with UBC, which took out Oklahoma City in its Opening Round bracket to advance as a No. 4 seed. The winner of that elimination game will play again at 10 a.m. Saturday.

WORLD SERIES TIDBITS:

• The Raiders had never been to a World Series until 2017, when then-third-year coach Jessica Pistole brought them to their first. Under her, they have a 28-9 World Series record; no other team has more than 17 wins during that stretch. They're 19-3 in elimination games at the final site (that record is 30-4 including the Opening Round), they've won 15 of their last 16 such games dating back to 2019, and they've never dropped back-to-back games in the tournament.
• The Raiders' total of four championships – accumulated in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 – is the second-most in NAIA history behind Oklahoma City's 11. The only other team in this year's field that has won a title is No. 5 seed Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), which collected its banner in 2024.
• Though the Raiders technically won back-to-back championships in 2019 and 2021 – there was no postseason in 2020 – they've never won in back-to-back years. The last team to do so was Oklahoma City in 2016-17.
• Each of the last 12 championships has been captured by a top-four seed, and No. 1 seeds have won five of those. The No. 1 seed in this year's tournament is Madonna (Mich.), which enters with a 48-4 record and a 12-game winning streak. The Crusaders were the last team to knock out SOU, doing so in 2024, and are seeking their first top-four finish. They've been dominant all season with a run differential of plus-291 but played only four games in the last two months against Top 25 competition.
• Of the 10 top seeds at Opening Round sites, only four advanced to the World Series.
• When the Raiders swept through the 2023 World Series as a No. 4 seed, they played a total of 23 innings and registered three run-rule victories. When they maxed out with eight games last year as the No. 3 seed, they played 61 innings and twice went to extras.

SOU SHORT HOPS:

• Following a spotless Opening Round, sophomore pitcher Ayla Davies is now 13-1 with a 1.40 ERA and complete games in all 14 of SOU's outings during her national tournament career. She enters this World Series at 26-7 with a 1.96 ERA. She has won 12 consecutive decisions with a 1.14 ERA across 74 innings since April 17; before this stretch, her ERA was at 2.41.
• Right fielder Kalea Thomas' torrid run bears repeating: The redshirt-freshman leadoff batter has delivered multiple hits in all seven of SOU's postseason games, and during an active 15-game hitting streak she has batted .589 (33-for-56). She and No. 2 hitter Vanessa Lang, an All-CCC senior second baseman, are key to SOU's offensive success. Lang has hit safely in 14 of her last 16 games and sports a .388 batting average that ranks second on the team behind Thomas' .412 clip.
• Including the CCC Tournament, the Raiders have homered nine times and totaled 21 extra-base hits in seven postseason games. They homered 10 times in 50 regular-season games.
• Their biggest run producers are junior shortstop Brooke Nordahl (.325, 19 XBH, 55 RBI) and senior center fielder Ari Williams (.357, 21 XBH, 45 RBI). Nordahl, making her third appearance at the final site, was selected to the World Series All-Tournament team a year ago. She landed the biggest blow of the Opening Round final with a three-run home run against Dordt.
• The Raiders have played error-free defense in five of their last six games. They've committed more than one error just twice in their last 32 games. With Davies in the circle, they've surrendered four unearned runs all season.
• Ten players who were on SOU's active tournament roster last year are also on this year's.