NICEVILLE, Fla. — The NJCAA Softball Committee unveiled the 2025 World Series bracket Tuesday afternoon, featuring 20 teams set to compete for a national championship next week in Yuma, Ariz.
Among them: Northwest Florida State, which secured the No. 3 overall seed and an at-large bid to the tournament. It marks the Raiders’ third consecutive appearance on the national stage as they continue their pursuit of the program’s first-ever national title — one that’s narrowly eluded them each of the last two years.
After an earlier-than-expected exit at the FCSAA State Tournament last week in Clearwater, Fla., the Raiders’ World Series hopes were left in the hands of the selection committee. Their 38-game win streak was snapped in the opening round by No. 17 Eastern Florida (1-0), but they rebounded with strong wins over No. 4 Indian River (8-4) and No. 6 Seminole State (1-0). A second loss to No. 15 Santa Fe (9-4) knocked them out of contention for one of the two automatic bids.
Still, Northwest Florida’s resume was strong enough to earn one of four coveted at-large selections, and now the Raiders are headed back to Yuma. They’ll open tournament play on Tuesday, May 20 at 2:15 p.m. (CDT) against the winner of No. 14 Southern Union and No. 19 Arizona Western.
The Raiders have made deep postseason runs in each of their last two trips to Yuma. In 2023, they fought through the bracket after an early loss to No. 1 Odessa, rattling off three wins — including a revenge victory over Odessa — to reach the national title game, where they fell to Florida Southwestern.
In 2024, Northwest Florida again entered as the No. 3 seed and reached the final four after wins over No. 14 Pima and No. 11 Wallace State. A loss to No. 2 Indian River set up a gritty win over No. 7 Galveston, but their tournament run ended the next day against No. 4 Temple.
This year, the goal is clear: return to the final game and finish the job. The journey begins Tuesday in Yuma.
