The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team will open NCAA Tournament play Thursday against Monmouth (Ill.) at 7:45 p.m. at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill.

The Warhawks (31-6 overall) earned a Pool "B" independent bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament and will be the No. 2 seed at the eight-team NCAA Central Regional.

UW-Whitewater is making its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 22nd overall after picking up one of two Pool "B" spots in the 58-team field. The Warhawks claimed the program's 18th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and fifth in the last six years with a 20-4 league record after closing out the campaign by taking three of four games at UW-La Crosse.

UW-Whitewater has reached the NCAA Tournament 14 times in the last 16 years and 13 times in 15 seasons under head coach John Vodenlich. The team has qualified for the championship round six times with Vodenlich at the helm, including national championship performances in 2005 and 2014.

To view the complete UW-Whitewater NCAA Tournament Notes, click here.