ST. PAUL, Minn. – After missing the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Postseason Tournament a year ago, the Bethany Lutheran baseball team (20-17, 12-4) earned the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament after a solid conference season under Head Coach Ryan Kragh.
The Vikings will open play on Thursday in Duluth, as the No. 2-seeded Vikings will take on the University the Minnesota-Morris (18-18, 12-4), who is the No. 3 seed. First pitch from Wade Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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Tournament Site |
Players to Watch |
Team Info |
Schedule |
Event Info |
No. 2 Bethany Lutheran may have been the closet team this season to upsetting the top-seeded Saints this season suffering a 1-0 loss in extra innings. The Vikings return to the playoffs thanks to a respectable 12-4 mark in conference play this season. They enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams winning their last seven against UMAC teams. In that stretch, the Vikings have scored in double digits five times. The Vikings' last conference loss came against the No. 3 Cougars as the two teams split in conference play.
Players to Watch
No. 1 St. Scholastica (conference games only)
Joey Zwak – .438 avg., 28 hits, 23 runs, 19 RBI, .531 OBP
Brian Minks – .418 avg., .562 OBP, 23 hits, 25 runs, 22 RBI, 16 BB
Grant Rindal – 2.57 ERA, 17 SO, 4 wins, 21 IP
No. 2 Bethany Lutheran (conference games only)
Brandyn Olsen – .530 avg., .848 slg., 35 hits, 25 runs, 26 RBI, 2.45 ERA, 4 wins, 42 SO
Trent Saharek – .424 avg., .457OBP, 28 hits, 17 RBI
John Brown – .354 avg., 23 hits, 21 runs, 15 RBI
No. 3 Minnesota Morris (conference games only)
Chandler Erickson – .420 avg., 29 hits, 12 runs, 11 RBI
Jackson Gessell – .358 avg., 24 hits, 16 runs, 9 RBI
Michael Dockendorf – 3.60 ERA, 4 wins, 35.0 IP, 30 SO
No. 4 Wisconsin-Superior (conference games only)
Nik Mattson – .381 avg., 16 hits, 10 RBI, .500 slg.
Chad Patko – .313 avg., 21 hits, 17 runs, 17 RBI, .567 slg.
Rich Vanden Branden – 3.81 ERA, 26.0 IP, 3 wins, 18 SO
Teams and Links
Playoff Schedule
Thursday, May 11 (Day One)
Game 1 – 4 p.m. - No. 2 Bethany Lutheran vs. No. 3 Minnesota Morris
Game 2 – 7 p.m.
- No. 1 St. Scholastica vs. No. 4 Wisconsin-Superior
Friday, May 12 (Day Two)
Game 3 – 1 p.m. - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 4 – 4 p.m. - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 5 – 7 p.m. - Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Saturday, May 13 (Day Three)
Game 6 – 1 p.m. - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5
Game 7 – 4 p.m. - If necessary – same teams as Game 6
Event Information
The UMAC Tournament has the following admissions prices: Single Day Adult Ticket, $10; Single Day Student/Senior Ticket - $5; Adult Tournament Pass, $15; Student/Senior Tournament Pass, $7. All UMAC students, staff and faculty are FREE with valid institution ID for all games. No other passes will be accepted.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
UMAC Baseball Tournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
Twitter and
Instagram using
#UMACchamp.
Fans can find a full rundown on the 2017 team statistics
HERE. A full recap and schedule update following Thursday's contest in Duluth will be available at
www.blcvikings.com.
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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.
