ST. PAUL, Minn. – After winning the regular-season title outright, the top-seeded St. Olaf College baseball team will open the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs against fourth-seeded Saint Mary's University on Thursday afternoon.

St. Olaf (27-12) and Saint Mary's (20-17) will match up in the first game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament on Thursday, May 9 at 2:30 p.m. at CHS Field. The Oles went 17-3 in conference play – its best MIAC mark since 2002 – on their way to claiming their 18th MIAC regular-season title, while the Cardinals finished in a three-way tie for second at 13-7 and got the No. 4 seed by virtue of their head-to-head record among the tied teams.

Per conference policy, tickets will be required for each day of the MIAC Baseball Playoffs and can be purchased online here. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $7 for students with ID. The student discount can be applied prior to check out in the shopping cart. MIAC pass holders and children five and under will be admitted for free. No outside food, beverage, cans, bottles, chairs, or coolers may be brought into the ballpark. Fans should review the list of prohibited items at CHS Field before traveling to the stadium. Live video and live statistics will be available courtesy of Hamline University.

After the game between St. Olaf and Saint Mary's, second-seeded Bethel University will face third-seeded Saint John's University at 7 p.m., with the winners of Thursday's two games meeting in the winners' bracket at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 10. The losers of Thursday's games will play an elimination game at 12 p.m. on Friday.

St. Olaf earned a spot in the MIAC Playoffs for the 12th time and is in the field for the first time since 2019, previously appearing every year from 2000-09 and 2019. The Oles are 23-17 all-time in the MIAC Playoffs, with the 23 victories being the most of any current member of the conference, and have won the tournament three times (2003, 2006, 2009).

Saint Mary's is appearing in the MIAC Playoffs for the 10th time overall and the first time since 2021, earning spots in the field in 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021 previously. The Cardinals are 8-14 all-time in the field, with four of their eight victories coming on their way to the title as the No. 3 seed in 2021.

Thursday's game will be the fourth head-to-head meeting between the Oles and Cardinals in the MIAC Playoffs and all three prior meetings were one-run wins for St. Olaf. In the most recent of the three, the third-seeded Oles overcame a 9-3 seventh-inning deficit to claim a 10-9 walk-off victory over the fourth-seeded Cardinals in 2019. St. Olaf also claimed a 4-3 win in 2001 and a 2-1 victory as the top seed in 2002.