Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

The Riverland baseball team opens play at the national tournament in Tyler, Texas at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The Blue Devils didn't receive an easy draw. They'll face top-ranked Richland (Texas) Community College in the opener. Richland is 43-13 this season, while Riverland is 37-8.

The double-elimination tournament runs through Thursday.

Four members of the Richland team have batting average above .400, and many of the team's loses came against NJCAA Division I or II schools.

Riverland finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country. The Blue Devils rely on a strong pitching staff, including Brandon Huhn, Brady Banse and Brian Voigt.

The Blue Devils have won 20 of their last 21 games. The team's batting average this season is .345, and 11 different players have at least one home run.

Riverland went 0-2 at the Division III world series back in 1998.

If the Blue Devils win Saturday, they'll turn around and play right away again at 4 p.m. Sunday.