ABOUT BETHANY LUTHERAN
Bethany Lutheran College took down Crown College, 7-3, in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship game to also earn on of the 41 automatic berths into the Regional Tournament. The Vikings enter play having won 18 of their last 19 games played overall. The team's last loss was a 19-9 setback against St. Mary's (Minn.) on April 30.
The team is hitting .342 overall and has been led by Eli Fest (.419), Brad Bickmann (.415) and Aiden Russell (.403). Russell has a team-high 54 on the year to go along with team-highs in runs (43), doubles (8), home runs (5), and RBI (41). He's also second in stolen bases with 22. Fest is second on the team with 36 hits and 34 runs scored with Bickmann chiming in with 34 hits and 31 RBI. Liam Petersen has swiped a team-leading 24 bases as the Vikings have stolen 118 as a team - a mark that sits 14th in all of Division III this season.
On the mound, Gavin Jacobsen has started a team-leading nine games on the year, sporting a 1-2 record and a 4.11 ERA. He has struck out 80 batters over 46.0 innings pitched with opponents hitting just .213 against him. He currently leads all of Division III in K's/9.0 IP at 15.60. Brody Curtiss is a team-best 6-1 on the year with a 4.57 ERA. He has been tagged for 21 earned runs over 41.1 innings pitched while striking out 44. Three different pitchers have appeared in at least 10 games out of the bullpen, including Jackson Hurias, who has picked up two of the team's six saves.
ABOUT UW-LA CROSSE
The 15th-ranked Eagles earned the automatic bid by defeating UW-Whitewater, 7-2, to win the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament title. The team enters the regional tournament riding a current five-game overall win streak and has scored at least seven runs in four of those five contests.
As a team, UW-L is hitting .328 overall and have a pair of guys with over 60 hits on the year. Sophomore third baseman Jack Olver is second on the team in average at .369 while leading the team with 66 hits. Sophomore second baseman Mac Born is hitting .413 to lead the way, including 64 hits and a team-high 47 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Anthony Vivian (.366) brings a heavy dose of power to the plate as he has launched a team-leading 16 home runs to go along with seven doubles. He is currently ranked seventh in DIII in home runs and 45th in slugging percentage at .754.
The Eagles are led on the mound by sophomore Isaiah Katz (6-0) and freshman Tyler Schmitt (6-2). Katz, who's been named the WIAC Pitcher of the Year, has started all 10 games he has appeared in and leads the staff with 63 innings pitched. Schmitt, who was voted the WIAC Newcomer of the Year, is just in front of Katz with a 2.83 ERA over 54 innings of work. The duo has combined to strikeout 98 batters this season while walking only 35. Caleb Matl has pitched in 15 games out of the bullpen and has five saves and a 1.48 ERA. In 24.1 innings of work, he's allowed just seven total runs and has 29 strikeouts while opponents are hitting just .176.
