The NAIA Baseball World Series isn’t leaving Lewiston anytime soon.
The NAIA and Lewis-Clark State announced on Saturday that they have agreed to a new seven-year contract that will keep the Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field from 2027 through at least 2033. The agreement also includes the possibility of a five-year extension, which could keep the championship in Lewiston through 2038.
The seven-year commitment is the longest contract in NAIA Baseball World Series history.
A Longtime Home for NAIA Baseball
Lewiston and the World Series have become nearly synonymous over the past four decades.
LC State first hosted the event from 1984-91 before the championship eventually returned to Harris Field in 2000. It has remained there ever since, bringing the total number of NAIA World Series hosted by LC State to 34.
That history has produced some significant numbers.
Harris Field has hosted 635 World Series games and welcomed more than one million fans through its gates. A total of 118 different schools have competed in Lewiston, with more than 8,000 student-athletes getting the opportunity to play for an NAIA national championship. Fourteen different programs have left Harris Field with the championship trophy.
The new agreement also means another milestone is coming. The 700th NAIA World Series game played at Harris Field is expected to take place during the life of the extension.
For LC State and the surrounding baseball community, the agreement secures an event that has grown into one of the region’s annual college baseball traditions.
The next edition will be the 70th annual Avista NAIA World Series, scheduled for May 27 through June 5 in Lewiston.
The NAIA’s full announcement includes additional comments and history on the partnership with Lewis-Clark State.