MANKATO, Minn. - With their playoff spot in the UMAC Tournament already secured, the Bethany Lutheran baseball team will aim to take the No. 1 seed and regular season title this week as they take on UW-Superior in their final series of the season. The Vikings, who are 16-2 in the UMAC and 23-12 overall, can claim the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with just one win over UW-Superior, who comes in at 18-18 overall and 12-6 in the conference. The teams will first meet on Friday at 3 p.m., before a doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 1 p.m.
Hear from the Vikings
Here's what head coach Ryan Kragh had to say about the upcoming series.
Kragh: "It's a big weekend to make sure we are playing our best ball late in the year. We had a great work week and are excited to compete again this weekend."
The Series
Friday's game will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the two teams with Bethany currently holding a 16-11 all-time advantage. The last few year's have played in Superior's favor though, as they hold a 5-4 record the past three seasons.
Scouting the Vikings
Bethany has been led at the plate through 35 games by Eli Fest and Aidan Russell who boast .413 and .411 averages, respectively, while Xander Meissner earned his third and fourth national weekly honors this past week as he is batting .391 on the season and slugging a UMAC-leading .781 thanks to a 12 home runs and 14 doubles. On the mound, Trent Ash moved to 9-0 on the season last week and is one of three players in NCAA Division III with at least nine wins and no losses, while Sean Gamble has added six wins and Adryen Tietz five.
Scouting the Yellowjackets
Through 36 games this season, UWS is led at the plate by Trey Sybrant who is hitting .371 on the season while Maxton Howell has provided some pop in the lineup, batting .336 and adding 10 doubles and 10 home runs to slug .729. On the bump the trio of Ben Welle, Josh Pritchard, and Zach Romans have started 28 total games for Superior, combining for a 14-4 record.
