Mankato, Minn. –  Fans are invited to attend viewing parties Saturday at Buffalo Wild Wings locations in Mankato as Minnesota State faces Tampa in Cary, N.C.,  with the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship on the line.

The gatherings will begin at 5:00 pm. with the championship game's first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m. CST.

Fans who cannot attend the gathering can view the game HERE.

Top-rated Tampa (45-13) is making its eighth Championship Game appearance and is seeking its sixth national title. The Spartans are the last team to win back-to-back titles, accomplishing the feat in 2006 and 2007.
 
#2 Minnesota State (42-8), the lone unbeaten team in this year’s National Finals, advanced to the Championship Game with a 6-5 win Thursday over St. Edward’s. The Mavericks, which finished third at last year’s Finals, is in the Championship Game for the first time in school history.

The game between the  Spartans and the Mavericks will be the second all-time match-up between the two schools. Minnesota State earned a 6-2 victory over Tampa in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Division II National Championship tournament in Montgomery, Ala.
 
Saturday’s contest marks the first time in 10 years that the top two nationally ranked teams are facing each other in the Championship Game. Tampa and Central Missouri entered the 2003 Championship Game as co-No. 1 in the Division II Top 30 Poll. 
 
For the Championship Game, the double-elimination format is discontinued and Saturday’s winner is the 2013 NCAA Division II Baseball National Champion.