This is not NASCAR, but the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series will have a 1 vs. 2 matchup on the very first day.

 

With a preset draw based on districts, the No. 2 Tyler Junior College Apaches will open the national tournament against top-ranked Gloucester County College, from New Jersey, at noon Saturday at Mike Carter Field.

The hometown Apaches have a 43-12 record, while the Roadrunners are 39-2. Gloucester's defeats came March 13 and May 5, and there was a 36-game winning streak in between.

TJC and Gloucester are both making their second tournament appearance in Tyler. The Apaches won the national championship in 2007, the first year the event was held in Tyler. Gloucester was here in 2008 when it lost in the championship game after working its way through the loser's bracket.

Of the eight teams this year, third-ranked Nassau Community College (N.Y.) and Waubonsee Community College (Ill.) will be making their first trips to the Rose City.

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with Riverland Community College (Minn.) playing No. 10 Manchester (Conn.) Community College. The 4 p.m. slot will have Montgomery College-Germantown (Md.) against Nassau, followed by Herkimer County (N.Y.) Community College and Waubonsee at 7 p.m.

If TJC wins in the first round, the Apaches will play at 4 p.m. Sunday. A loss would put the Apaches playing at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The championship round of the double-elimination tournament is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, with another game Thursday night if necessary. There will be 14 games over five days.

Tournament passes are on sale ($20, adults only) at the cashier's office in the White Administrative Services Building on the TJC campus. A pass is good for every game of the World Series. Tickets will be sold on the TJC campus through Friday at the cashier's office (8 a.m.-6 p.m. today and Thursday, and 8 a.m.-noon on Friday).

Tickets are $5 per day for adults, $3 per day for students and free for children 10 and under. In addition, any Little League player in uniform will get in free. Tickets can also be purchased at Mike Carter Field beginning with the first day of the tournament.

The NJCAA World Series' annual Little League clinic is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Mike Carter Field. The free event, for Little League players and their families, is conducted by World Series players and coaches.