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BILLINGS, Mont. – Let the title chase begin!

Crusader fans, your Northwest Nazarene baseball team takes to the field Thursday afternoon in Montana in pursuit of the program's first Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, and it couldn't be a more exciting time.

"It's a brand new season and everybody's zero and zero," NNU head baseball coach Rocke Musgraves said, "hopefully we can take advantage of being in the playoffs and this experience."

The playoff experience begins with third-seeded NNU (27-26 overall) playing second-seeded Western Oregon (26-23) at 1 p.m. (MT). The Crusaders then play top seed and tournament host Montana State Billings (27-21) at 4 p.m.

Watch and listen to the games live on the internet at www.nnusports.com. Go to the NNU baseball schedule and click the "live video" link next to each game to access the broadcast.

The championship round begins Friday at 1 p.m., and the Crusaders need at least one win to advance, while a sweep on Thursday means NNU would advances directly to the GNAC baseball championship game on Friday.

To get a title shot, the Crusaders will have to beat the top pitching team in the league in WOU and the top hitting team in MSU Billings.

"We're kind of in the middle," Musgraves said of his Crusaders, "I feel we have pretty good pitching and hitting."

The Wolves boast the top ERA in the GNAC at 4.22 and the GNAC Pitcher of the Year in Jesse Pratt, who went 7-1 with a 2.62 ERA.

As for the Yellowjackets, who hit a league-high .316 and led the GNAC in runs scored with 348 on the season, they're led by GNAC Player of the Year Brody Miller (.360, 14 HRs, 59 RBIs).

How does NNU stack up?

The Crusaders were second in pitching with a 4.90 ERA and were led by reliever Colton Loomis, who had a 6-2 record. NNU also got great seasons on the hill from starters Jake Reppert and Blake Mitchell, who each won five games this spring, and Colben McGuire, who was 4-4, was second in the GNAC in with 72 strikeouts and led the league in innings pitched (83 1-3).

Offensively, NNU is third in the league with a .276 batting average, was second in runs scored at 289, and led the GNAC in extra-base hits with 150 – 99 doubles, 19 triples and 32 home runs.

Tyler Davis, the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, led the NNU offense, hitting .306 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs, while GNAC First Team honorees Josh Hatfield (.365, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs, 11 SBs) and Andrew Helmstadter (.312, 6 3Bs, 3 HRs, 35 RBIs) were equally impactful offensive weapons for the Crusaders.

Add in the fact that the Crusaders were No. 2 in the league in fielding percentage at .964 and were second in double-plays turned with 42 – WOU led both categories at .973 and 46 – and NNU should be a solid title contender with a well-rounded team.

Which means it's anyone's race as the title chase begins Thursday at 1 p.m. on the diamond in Billings, Mont.