Howard head coach Britt Smith knows that rankings and seedings don't mean a lot once the first pitch is thrown Sunday at 10 a.m. vs. the Northern Conference's No. 3 seed Cisco Junior College.

"We played them in the fall, but the composition of their team is completely different right now," Smith said. "They are a hot team right now, winning 10 of their last 12 games to get in, so they are playing really well. We're just going to have to come out and take care of what we do well and if we do that we'll be fine."

The Hawks also finished the season winning 10 of their last 12 games including a 4-game sweep of Frank Phillips College on the road.

Despite the Hawks' 48-8 overall record and 24-8 performance in conference play, Smith knows the value of taking each game as it comes in the tournament.

"It's a matter of playing the tournament one pitch at a time. You can't look past anybody. You try to win the game you're playing," Smith stated. "In tournament baseball, you don't look ahead for matchups. You try to win every single game you are playing, even if you have to burn every guy you have to do it."

The Hawks sport a solid lineup, leading the nation in team hitting with a .430 batting average. Leading the nation individually is shortstop Tyler Ladendorf with a .542 average. Ladendorf is also fourth in RBIs with 82, 15th in stolen bases with 31-for-32 and tied for 23rd in home runs with 16. The Oklahoma signee is considered a Major League Baseball prospect and should be drafted in one of the top rounds in this year's MLB draft.

Sophomore Travis Sample is fifth nationally with a .505 batting average, fourth in RBIs with 82 and 10th in home runs with 16.

Howard also sports the nation's top stolen base thief in sophomore center fielder Cameron Monger, stealing 57-of-60 bases this season. Ladendorf was a perfect 65-for-65 last season to lead the nation. Monger is hitting .446 on the season which is 28th best in the nation.

The Hawks' sophomore first baseman, Matt Curry, is tied for seventh in the nation in home runs with 20 while hitting .451 on the season which ranks 23rd nationally.

Utility freshman Andrew Collazo is fourth nationally in stolen bases with a perfect 40 swipes in 40 attempts this season.

Both sophomore Nathan Bryan and freshman Miles Hamblin are tied for 45th nationally in RBIs with 56 apiece.

The Hawks have been solid on the mound as well, with freshman left hander Anthony Collazo ranking fifth in the nation with a 1.55 strikeout per inning ratio. Collazo has 96 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched and is 10-2 on the year with a 4.99 ERA.

Sophomore lefty Colt Simon is 11-2 with a 4.57 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Freshman right hander Chase Adams is 7-0 with a 3.88 ERA and sophomore righty James Alvarado is 6-0 with a 4.37 ERA and four saves. Sophomore right-handed flame-thrower Pedro Villarreal also has four saves while recording a strikeout per inning of work.

With a sophomore-laden squad, Smith hopes the Hawks will be able to carry their success from the regular season into the postseason.

"Last year we didn't make the tournament so for our players it will be new territory," Smith said. "If your best players play like they are your best players in the tournament, then you're going to be fine."

With a Howard win Sunday, the Hawks would play the winner of the North's No. 1 seed Grayson County College and the West's No. 4 seed El Paso Community College at 5 p.m. Monday. A Howard loss would pit the Hawks against the loser of Grayson and El Paso at 10 a.m. Monday. All Region V Tournament games are being played at Lubbock Christian University's Hays Field.