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CITY  (NewsDakota.com)–The Viking softball team learned the disappointing news that they would not make an appearance in the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) Tournament yesterday.

The Vikings finished ranked sixth in the AII poll, a poll that determined the tournament field.  The top six teams receive a berth, unless the host team is not among them.  In that case, the host team replaces the sixth-ranked team.

Thomas, GA, is hosting the event, and is ranked seventh.  They have bumped the Vikings out of contention.  

Head coach Chad Slyter argued his team’s case to deaf AII ears yesterday.  The Vikings finished with nearly the same record as Dickinson State, who received a bid, and beat Jamestown College, who also received a bid, in three of five head-to-head game this year.

The Vikings had the second-highest strength of schedule among Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) teams, and was the only DAC team to defeat a team nationally ranked this season.

“Obviously, we are disappointed with the outcome,” Slyter said Monday.  “I’m proud of this group.  They have continued to work hard and did exactly what our coaching staff has asked when we were fighting for conference tournament rankings.”

“Along the way, we won 20 games for the sixth straight year, which I think is something our team can take a lot of pride in.”

The softball team is the second VCSU team to suffer at the hands of the raters this season.  The mens basketball team failed to move up in the polls after beating Jamestown College, who was ranked seventh in the nation at the time.  That lack of movement cost the Vikings an at-large bid to the national tournament.

The Vikings will now play in the DAC Tournament this weekend.  They are the #3 seed, and will play #2 Dickinson State Saturday at 2 p.m.