MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran baseball team will head to La Crosse, Wisconsin on Friday for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings, who enter the Tournament 25-9 overall, will face host school No. 13 UW-La Crosse who enter 31-9 at 11 a.m. on Friday. The other side of the regional pits Bethel against Buena Vista in a contest slated for 2:30 p.m.
Watch Live
Live Stats
Tournament Webpage
Scouting the Vikings
Bethany enters the NCAA Tournament after rolling through the UMAC in clean fashion winning each game in the Tournament. Through 34 games, three Vikings are hitting over .400 this year in Eli Fest, Brad Bickmann and Aidan Russell. Fest also enters the weekend with the second highest OB% in the UMAC at .545, while Bickmann and Russell have each brought power to the middle of the lineup slugging .671 and .634, respectively. Bethany has also been one of the most proficient team's in the country on the bases, as they rank second in NCAA DIII with 3.47 stolen bases per game. Gavin Jacobsen has been the squad's ace thus far, posting a 4.11 ERA through 46 innings, striking out 80 batters. He currently ranks first in all of NCAA Division III in strikeouts per nine innings at 15.60. Jackson Huiras was named UMAC Rookie of the Year for the work he has done out of the bullpen, tossing 25.2 innings and holding a 3.51 ERA.
Scouting the Eagles
UW-La Crosse enters as the No. 13 ranked team nationally and No. 1 ranked team in Region IX with a 31-9 record. The Eagles have brought the power to the plate this year, hitting 51 home runs to rank top 25 nationally in the category with Anthony Vivian hitting 16 to rank seventh individually. Mac Born and Jack Olver have also had strong seasons, batting .413 and .369, respectively, with each adding eight home runs. As a team La Crosse has been strong on the mound, with three players starting at least eight games and all posting sub-5.00 ERAs. Isaiah Katz was named WIAC Pitcher of the Year this season while fellow starter Tyler Schmitt was named Newcomer of the Year.
Scouting the Royals
Bethel entered the MIAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed but allowed just one run in three games to claim the crown and come into the weekend with a 29-10 record. Max Sutter has been the team's ace thus far, posting a 5-1 record and 3.51 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched, while striking out 56 hitters. Offensively, Matthew Carlsen has led the way with team-highs in batting average (.395), slugging percentage (.586), OB% (.473), doubles (14), and runs scored (46). Nick Kulseth has also had a strong showing, hitting .364 this year while reaching base at a .465 clip.
Scouting the Beavers
Buena Vista earned an at-large bid after suffering consecutive losses in the American Rivers Conference Tournament thanks to a 30-9 record. The Beavers have swung it well this year, with Jordan and Caden Mathewson and Logan Mueller all hitting above .386. Jordan Mathewson has been especially sold at the top of the BVU lineup, hitting .408 with 49 runs scored. Morgan Smith has been one of the top arms in the region thus far, posting a 9-1 record and 2.82 ERA in 76.2 innings pitched, striking out 69 batters. Calvin Harris has hit .358 this year while also serving as major arm out of the bullpen, tossing 18.2 innings to this point with a 1.45 ERA, 4-0 record, and three saves.
