VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – The Valley City State baseball team travels to Bellevue, Nebraska, this weekend for a conference match-up against Bellevue University. The Vikings will look to bounce back as they take on a red-hot Bruins squad.

VCSU enters the series with a 14-11 record, showing consistency at the plate with a .289 team batting average and 165 runs scored on the season. The Vikings have produced 226 hits, including 44 doubles and 14 home runs, while adding 27 stolen bases.

Bellevue comes into the weekend with a 23-3 record and a perfect 4-0 mark in conference play. The Bruins are currently on an 11-game winning streak and have been one of the most explosive offensive teams in the conference, batting .342 as a team with 230 runs scored and 45 home runs. At the plate, Hunter Logan leads the Vikings with a .361 average and 27 RBIs, while Cody Wielgosh (.337) and Alexis Velasco (.326, 12 doubles, 2 HR) provide additional production in the lineup. Anthony Madsen has also been strong in limited action, hitting .367 with a .533 slugging percentage. On the mound, Connor Martin leads the Vikings with a 4-2 record and 66 strikeouts in 43.2 innings, while Takao Cookson adds another 4-2 mark with 39 strikeouts. Grady Shipman has been effective as well, posting a 3-0 record with a 4.05 ERA and 28 strikeouts. Bellevue has also been solid on the mound, holding a team ERA of 4.07 while limiting opponents to a .267 batting average. The Bruins took the most recent meeting between the two teams earlier this season, defeating
VCSU 12-3 on March 22.

The Vikings will look to slow down Bellevue’s high-powered offense and pick up key conference wins on the road.

Due to poor weather for the Bellevue area, the games will be on Saturday and Sunday. Game one on Saturday will be at 1 pm, and on Sunday it will be at 12 pm.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the first ARC Rankings of the season were released. These rankings are used by the NAIA to determine which teams are worthy of playing in the National Tournament. In the opening poll, Bellevue is ranked No. 1 in the competitive West Region. Three Frontier Conference teams are included in the West Region rankings, with Mayville State at No. 10 and Valley City State at No. 12.