SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The third-seeded Newman baseball team makes its first-ever trip to the Heartland Conference Baseball Championship tournament Thursday. Newman will play the second-seeded St. Edward's Hilltoppers in the opening game of the tournament, which will be played at Sullivan Field on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

The Jets hold the No. 3 seed in the tournament with an overall record of 27-21, and a Heartland Conference mark of 20-16. They will meet a St. Edward's Hilltopper squad that brings a 35-12 record into the tournament, including a 26-9 mark against Heartland Conference opponents. The Jets are 2-4 against the Hilltoppers this season, but won two of three against St. Edward's on the 'Toppers home field in Austin, Texas.

The other first-round match-up features the top-seeded and No. 1 ranked St. Mary's Rattlers (41-8, 31-5 Heartland), and fourth-seeded Arkansas-Fort Smith (27-20, 19-16 Heartland).

Heartland Conference Baseball Tournament (Tournament Central)
Thursday, May 10
Game 1: (2) St. Edward's vs. (3) Newman, 1 p.m.
Game 2: (1) St. Mary's vs. (4) Arkansas-Fort Smith 5 p.m.

Friday, May 11
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 12
Championship Game 1: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 1 p.m.
Championship Game 2 (If needed), 45 minutes after first championship game.