To reach the NAIA World Series, the University of Houston-Victoria Jaguars will have to go through three teams ranked in the top 20 of the latest NAIA college baseball poll.

The Jaguars begin play in the opening-round tournament games on Tuesday in Fresno, Calif., against Ohio Dominican at 1 p.m. locally. Host Fresno Pacific, ranked No. 11 in the NAIA, will face No. 17 Point Loma Nazarene in the second game, with the winner of the opening game going against No. 7 British Columbia to close out the first day at 8 p.m.

Wednesday's second day has the Game 1 loser facing the Game 2 loser in the opening game, followed by the Game 2 winner and Game 3 winner from opening day. The loser of Game 3 meets the winner of Game 4 in an elimination game to end play for the day. Play will continue Thursday with elimination games, with Friday serving as championship day.

The winner of the tournament advances to the 10-team Avista-NAIA World Series set for May 28-June 4 in Lewiston, Idaho.

UHV fans can keep up with the action on the internet by going to http://www.uhvjaguars.com/ and clicking on the NAIA Championships logo in the top right corner.

Here is a look at the teams in the tournament:

British Columbia

The Thunderbirds come into the tournament with a 39-11 record and on a four-game win streak after winning the Cascade Collegiate championship. UBC is 7-3 over its last 10 games and holds a 13-game win streak this season. The Thunderbirds longest losing streak has been three games. It's the third appearance to the tournament for the Thunderbirds who are 3-4 in the tournament. ….Nic Lendvoy leads the team with a .385 batting average, 119 total bases, 51 RBI, 17 doubles and seven home runs. He has also scored 34 runs and has a .610 slugging average. …Keaton Briscoe also carries a big stick with a .364 average, 44 runs and 33 RBI. BCU is batting .322 as a team with 102 doubles, 22 triples, 29 home runs and 329 runs. …On the mound, Sheldon McDonald is 8-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 64.1 innings, while Eric Brown is 7-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 62.1 innings. Brandon Kaye is 7-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 70.1 innings.

Fresno Pacific

The Sunbirds bring a 35-15 record into the tournament and have won 10 of their last 12 games, but come into play having lost their last game. …The Sunbirds longest win streak this season has been nine games, while their longest losing streak has been three games. …IT's the second appearance in the tournament for FPU, who finished as the Golden State Athlete Conference runner-up. …Tyler Pryor leads the Sunbirds at the plate with a .437 average and has 50 RBI, 65 runs, 22 doubles, two ripples and eight home runs. Case Rigby follows with a .389 average and a team-leading 72 RBI and 10 home runs. He has 53 runs scored, 18 doubles and three triples. FPU is batting .327 with 130 doubles, 13 triples, 65 home runs and 456 runs. …Kelyn Schellenberg is the ace on the mound with a 10-3 record and a 3.58 ERA in 130.2 innings Sean Cunningham follows with an 8-2 record and 5.29 ERA in 66.1 innings.

Point Loma Nazarene

The Sea Lions are 35-18-1 on the year and received an at-large bid to the tournament. It's the fifth appearance for PLNU, who has a 13-8 record in the tournament. The Sun Birds have a 3-7 record over their last 10 games and enter play on a two-game losing streak. PLUN's longest winning streak this season has been eight games, while its longest losing streak has been five. …Allen Boyer carries the big stick for the Sea Lions as he brings a .349 average into the tournament and leads the team with 60 runs and 17 homes runs. Tyler Kuehl follows with a .341 average and a team-leading 56 RBI and 20 doubles He also has 11 home runs. Rashad Taylor also offers power at the plate with 15 home runs. …Brandon Dixon is 9-0 on the season with a 3.15 ERA in 97 innings, while Chad Blauer is 10-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 76.2 innings to lead the pitching staff.

University of Houston-Victoria

The Jaguars advanced to the tournament by going undefeated in the Association of Independent Institutions tournament and bring a 31-20 record into play after starting the season at 1-10. The Jaguars are currently on a six-game win streak and are 9-1 over their last 10 games. It's the second straight year for the Jaguars to advance to the tournament where they have a 1-2 record. …Anthony Phillips carries a .336 average into the tournament to lead the team. Austin Kent, who leads the team with 41 runs, 20 doubles and three triples, follows with a .331 average. Kent hit three home runs in the conference tournament and was named the Most Outstanding Player. David Baker, who has a .329 average, leads the team with 12 home runs, while John Longoria has team leading 42 RBI and is second on the team with eight home runs. …On the mound, Broc Haymon is 5-2 with a 1.32 ERA, while Casey Newman is also 5-2 with a 7.34 ERA. Bobby Gomez is 6-3.

Ohio Dominican

The Panthers carry a 22-27 record into the tournament and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. It's the seventh appearance in the tournament for the Panthers who are 4-12. The Panthers' longest winning streak this season has been three games, while the longest losing streak has been eight. …Felix Brown leads the team with a .399 average, but Eian Banks has been the big stick at the plate this season with a .395 average and a team-leading 39 RBI, 41 runs, 13 doubles and six home runs. …Nick Venditti is 7-1 on the mound with a 4.03 ERA and supports the only winning record for the Panthers.