MANKATO, Minn. - The field is set for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Softball Tournament. Head Coach Dan Nessler, in his 2nd season, has his squad back in the mix for the second time. Last year the Vikings qualified for the tournament with an 8-8 record and went in as the 5th seed. The Vikings will again go in as the 5th seed, but with a UMAC record of 10-6 this season. The Vikings will play 4th seed Crown College in their first game of the tournament.
 
The Vikings and Storm just played each other on Monday. The Vikings dropped game one of the double-header with freshman Eden Ambrose pitching. In game two, senior Anna Pipenhagen pitched and led the Vikings to an 8-3 win.
 
The Vikings got off to a strong 9-3 start in UMAC play before losing three of their last four against top UMAC competition including two games to regular season champion St. Scholastica. With a young squad that has adjusted to conference play, the Vikings have shown they can play with anybody in the UMAC including #1 seed St. Scholastica. In their matchup last week, the Saints and Vikings were tied heading into the final inning of game one. The Vikings had runners in position to score and take the lead, but weren't able to seal the deal. The Saints took advantage of their last opportunity at the plate and went on to win by a final score of 2-1.
 
The Vikings have established themselves as one of the top offensive teams in the league with a batting average of .327. Additionally, the Vikings lead the league in stolen bases. The Vikings also hold a team ERA of 2.62 which is due in large part to the dominance of senior pitcher Anna Pipenhagen. Pipenhagen leads the league with 10 wins and 105 strikeouts.
 
Crown College also enters the UMAC tournament with a 10-6 record. Crown raced out to first place in the UMAC before losing five of their last six games. Crown is led by 2017 UMAC Player of the Year Lis King. King leads the UMAC in batting average at .556 and is also one of the top pitchers. Crown holds a team batting average of .327 and has a combined ERA of 3.03.
 
The #5 Vikings and #4 Storm will play the first game of the UMAC tournament on Thursday, May 3 at 10 AM.
 
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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Dan DeWitt at 507-344-7856 or email ddewitt@blc.edu