NBC World Series brackets released

Nevada Daily Mail

WICHITA, Kan. -- The brackets and opening round matchups for the 76th annual National Baseball Congress World Series have officially been announced. The Nevada Griffons will get this year's tournament under way on Saturday, July 31, at 10 p.m., as they chase their first-ever NBC World Series championship to go with two second- and one third-place finish.

Though they missed out on a MINK League South Division title -- which would have come with an automatic World Series bid -- when the Sedalia Bombers ran away with the race early, head coach Ryan Mansfield's Griffons refused to just sit back and rely on an at-large invitation to get them into the tournament. With a clean sweep of the competition, the Griffons cruised their way to an automatic World Series bid instead, by winning the Washita Valley Regional qualifying tournament in four games.

The Griffons will open tournament action at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium against the 2010 Jayhawk League champion Haysville (Kan.) Heat. With a win, the Griffons would move on to face either the Everett (Wash.) Merchants or the 2010 MINK League North Division champion Chillicothe (Mo.) Mudcats in the second round of winner's bracket play on Monday. A loss would send the Griffons on an early trip to the loser's bracket, where they would take on the loser of the Mudcats-Merchants game, also on Monday, in an elimination game.

The 2010 MINK League champion Sedalia Bombers will be in action at the year's World Series on Friday as they take on the Team Tulsa (Okla.) Red Rockets at 9:30 p.m. The tournament is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m., that evening when the Derby (Kan.) Twins take on Colorado's Play Ball Sports.

The defending NBC World Series champion El Dorado (Kan.) Broncos will be back to make an attempt at an improbable repeat as well, kicking off their tournament on Saturday, against the Gunnison (Colo.) Colts, at 7:30 p.m.