For the first time since 1972, Missouri S&T’s baseball team has been selected to play in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Miners, regular season champions of the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s West Division, will take part in the Midwest Regional beginning Thursday in Normal, Ill., with the first assignment coming against defending national champion Southern Indiana.

The regional tournament will take place at the Corn Crib, the home of the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League. The first round games will take place Thursday, with top-seeded and host institution Grand Valley State taking on Wayne State (Mich.) and Northern Kentucky facing Quincy in the other two opening round contests. The game times will be announced Monday.

Missouri S&T won the GLVC West with a 21-7 conference record and will bring a 29-17 overall record into the regional. The Miners, the regional’s fifth seed, has already set a school record for wins in a season with the 29 victories and also ran off a record 10 straight wins before falling in an extra inning contest Friday to Northern Kentucky.

Southern Indiana, the GLVC East champion in 2011, is 37-17 overall and was 26-8 in the GLVC this season. The Screaming Eagles won the national title a year ago and swept the Miners in a doubleheader to open the conference schedule on March 19, winning by scores of 2-1 and 3-1 in eight innings.