SAN ANGELO, Texas - Rogers State makes its first appearance in the NCAA National Tournament on Thursday, as the No. 6 seed Hillcats will take on t No. 3 seed Lubbock Christian in the opening round at Angelo State University. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Foster Field.

The Hillcats are making their NCAA Tournament debut after earning the automatic qualifier with the 2019 Heartland Conference Tournament Championship, defeating St. Edward's on Saturday to claim the school's first conference championship since joining the Heartland and NCAA in 2014 and becoming full members in 2017.

This weekend's opening round matchup puts the Heartland Conference Regular Season Champions of Lubbock Christian and the Heartland Conference Tournament Champions of Rogers State against one another. The teams finished first and second in the regular season.

During the regular season, Lubbock Christian took the series 2-1 in Lubbock.  After falling in game one 1-2, Rogers State won 4-2 in game two before dropping the rubber match of the series on the final weekend in April.

Rogers State is coming off their first postseason trip since joining the NCAA, going 3-0 in Cleburne, Texas. The Hillcats started off with a 4-0 victory over Arkansas-Fort Smith before defeating six-time defending conference champions St. Edward's twice. RSU won 6-5 in 11 innings in the winner's bracket final and then again 4-3 after St. Edward's advanced to the championship game.

The Hillcats hold a 20-15 record all-time in postseason play. Rogers State's last national tournament appearance came in 2013, when the Hillcats made a strong run all the way to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.

Rogers State's national tournament run in 2013 included a pair of victories over Lubbock Christian, as the Hillcats defeated the Chaps in the NAIA Tournament opener before eliminating them in the regional final to advance to the World Series.