SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The UWM baseball team is expected to see Notre Dame pitching ace Aaron Heilman when the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament gets underway Friday afternoon.

The Panthers (39-16) and Fighting Irish (46-11-1) play at 4 p.m. in the opening game of the South Bend Regional. California-Santa Barbara (39-15) and Florida International (40-18) play in the second game of the day Friday.

UWM practiced for an hour and 15 minutes Thursday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium, and afterward all four head coaches met the media.

Notre Dame head coach Paul Mainieri confirmed Heilman, who is 14-0 this season with a 1.54 ERA, will start against the Panthers. UWM is expected to counter with MCC Pitcher of the Year Quintin Oldenburg.

"Some guys are just great, and you have to go out and play," UWM head coach Jerry Augustine said. "Our guys will have to be at our best. Are we capable of it? We're capable of it every time we step on the field."

The Panthers beat Notre Dame, 14-3, at Frank Eck Stadium in 2000, a fact not lost on Mainieri.

"We have the highest level of respect for the Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball program," Mainieri said. "We've had some very good games with them over the years. If anyone takes Wisconsin-Milwaukee lightly in this tournament, they'll be in for a very rude awakening, because they're a very good baseball team."

Oldenburg last pitched Saturday in the MCC Tournament, working into the eighth inning before being knocked out. He received a no-decision, and has been stuck on nine wins since beating Eastern Illinois May 8.

Heilman, the 31st pick overall in last year's draft, was the only pitcher to win a game for Notre Dame at last weekend's Big East Tournament. Heilman has won every game he's started this season, completing 11 games and tossing three shutouts.

UWM qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament championship. The Panthers also won the MCC regular season crown, and set a school record for wins.

"We feel very honored to be here," Augustine said. "When you look at the teams that are here, we feel like we're the blue collar team. We just work hard and hope things work out well. They certainly have so far."

The Panthers surprised the nation when they beat top-ranked Rice to open the 1999 NCAA Tournament, and UWM is hoping for a similar result when the face the All-American Heilman Friday.

"We're facing one of the best pitchers in the country," Augustine said. "We're facing a great team, and we're playing at Notre Dame. What better situation could you ask for?"