Undaunted by an opening game defeat, our resilient HIU Royals Baseball team reeled off 5 straight elimination victories in their historic run to become NAIA National Champions for the first time in school history. The Royals became the fifth team in NAIA World Series history to lose their first game and go on to win the Championship. (The last time this feat was accomplished was 2006.)

In the Championship game, the fourth-seeded Royals (45-16) rallied from an early deficit to win HIU's first ever Red Banner at the 67th Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, beating the sixth-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs 14-6. Senior second baseman JJ Cruz was named World Series MVP, and Senior shortshop David Rivera earned World Series Gold Glove honors. Junior pitcher Trey Seely was named to the All-Tournament team along with Cruz and Rivera.

Head Coach Larry Mahoney, who has been with the Royals baseball program since its debut in 2015-2016, was named NAIA Coach of the Year. Mahoney was an assistant for seven years before being named the Head Coach prior to the 2022 season.

• Royals recap
• NAIA recap
• Lewiston Tribune recap