The Linfield Wildcats have been selected to host a four-team NCAA Division III regional playoff tournament starting Thursday, May 15. The NCAA announced the full 64-team tournament field Monday morning.
 
Reaching the NCAA postseason for the 20th time in the last 21 seasons, Linfield will play Johnson & Wales of Providence, Rhode Island (29-15) in the double-elimination tournament at Del Smith Stadium. That game will lead off the tournament starting at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. 

Fellow Northwest Conference member Lewis & Clark (29-11) is paired with SCIAC Tournament champion Chapman (31-9) in Thursday's other opening-round game starting at 5 p.m.
 
After winning the Northwest Conference regular season title, Linfield went 3-0 at the NWC Tournament, topping Lewis & Clark on Championship Sunday to claim the program's 12th NWC Tournament crown and the league's automatic berth to the regional playoffs.
 
Statistically, Linfield (38-5) enters the national playoffs leading NCAA Division III in home runs (84), hits (482), runs (390), batting average (.406) and slugging percentage (.697).
 
JWU-Providence won the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament championship on Sunday to earn that league's automatic berth to the regional playoffs. Not surprisingly given the distance between the two schools, Linfield and JWU-Providence have never competed against one another in any sport.
 
In the midst of its best season in program history in which it was the Northwest Conference runner-up, Lewis & Clark claimed its first-ever NCAA playoff berth.
 
The Division III championship tournament is comprised of 16 four-team regional playoffs with each using a double-elimination format. Sixteen teams advance from the regional round to compete in eight two-team, best-of-three Super Regionals, May 22-23, at campus sites. The championship finals take place May 29-June 4 at Inspiration Field in Bloomington, Illinois on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
A full tournament preview will follow later this week.
  Thursday, May 15
Game 1: Linfield (1) vs. Johnson & Wales (4), 2:30 p.m.
Game 2: Chapman (2) vs. Lewis & Clark (3), 5 p.m.
Friday, May 16
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, noon
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, loser out, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, loser out, 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, noon
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 2:30 p.m.