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No. 13 Baker Earns Second Straight Playoff Berth, Hosts No. 20 Pikeville in FCS First Round
Posted: Nov 22, 2024

No. 13 Baker Earns Second Straight Playoff Berth, Hosts No. 20 Pikeville in FCS First Round

BALDWIN CITY – Making its second straight appearance, No. 13 Baker earned a spot in the 2024 NAIA Football Championship Series after receiving an at-large bid and will host a first-round matchup against No. 20 Pikeville on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. at Don Parker Field and Liston Stadium in Baldwin City, Kan.

After closing out the regular season with a 16-8 victory over Missouri Baptist on Saturday, the Wildcats finished as Heart South Division Tri-Champs, clinching a share of the conference championship with Benedictine and MidAmerica Nazarene for the second straight year. BU received one of the seven at-large bids, earning the 13th seed for the NAIA playoffs, while being ranked No. 12 in the final national top-25 poll.

In his second year back at the helm, head coach Miguel Regalado has the NAIA's all-time winningest program making back-to-back trips to the postseason after going 9-1 during the regular season and holding a 5-1 record against Heart South opponents. Overall, it's the sixth playoff appearance for Regalado, who was an assistant coach during Baker's string of five postseason appearances from 2008-2016, including the 2016 team that reached the NAIA Championship game.

It marks the 21st appearance for Baker football in the NAIA playoffs where the Wildcats carry a 19-20 all-time record and national runner-up finishes from 2016 and 1986. In BU's last FCS outing in 2023, the Wildcats defeated Louisiana Christian, 56-28 at home in the first round before falling to No. 4 Georgetown in the second round.

With kickoff set for 1 p.m., gates at Liston Stadium will open one hour prior to kickoff (12 p.m.) with entrances located at the north and northwest sides of the stadium. Tickets for all fans will be required at entry with cash or card options available, prices include:

  • $10 for Adults 19+
  • $5 for Ages 18 to 13, college students with valid school ID, Seniors (62+) and military veterans.
  • Ages 12 and under are free.

Due to NAIA guidelines, there will be no pass list and all fans will be required to purchase a ticket for admission. However, thanks to generous donations by Baldwin State Bank and Baker alum Craig Meyer (Class of '88), the first 150 Baker students get in FREE with a valid Baker ID.

You can purchase an advance ticket for Saturday's game online here.

If you're unable to attend, you can watch a live stream of the game on The Heart Conference Network and follow along with the live stats on BakerWildcats.com.

#BakerBuildsChampions