Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney baseball team is in Texas this week taking part in a rare neutral site tournament.
 
The QuickTrip Division II Classic brings together two MIAA teams (UNK and Pittsburg State), two Lone Star Conference squads (Texas A & M-Kingsville and West Texas A & M) and four schools from the Great American Conference (tourney host Southern Arkansas, Arkansas-Monticello, Ouachita Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma State).
 
The Lopers (1-2) get to face all four GAC teams; the MIAA, NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) and GAC make up the Central Region. These games are thus important for NCAA Tournament considerations in May.
 
Fans not making the trip to Grand Prairie can follow via live stats or with a free live video stream. When UNK faces SAU Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Central, there will be announcers on the video feed. For all other games, there'll only be a crowd microphone.
 
On Friday, Kearney takes on the OBU Tigers (Arkadelphia, Ark.) and then has back-to-back 10:00 a.m. games against the SWOSU Bulldogs and the UAM Boll Weevils.
 
In the national preseason rankings, the SAU Muleriders were 9th in the ABCA poll with UAM 23rd in the NCBWA poll.
 
UNK remains on the road next week to face former RMAC rival Colorado State-Pueblo