The Bethany Lutheran College baseball team has started off to a tremendous season so far, which is nothing new for this team. They are currently sitting first place in the UMAC (Upper Midwest Athletic Association) which puts them in the same spot as last year.

After a very successful regular season, finishing first in the UMAC with a 17-4 record in the conference, the Vikings had a much different postseason as they got upset by the current second-place team, the University of Northwestern Eagles. Senior infielder Aidan Russell said about the loss in the playoffs, “We did have a tough loss, but we were able to return a lot of people that experienced that feeling. We for sure have a chip on our shoulder to hold our standard and not be in that situation again.”

First-year assistant coach Liam Peterson said, “It was a tough pill to swallow last year after the regular season we had, but for our older guys, they know what it takes to win in big moments and they preach it to our younger guys.”

Over the weekend, the Vikings won two out of the three games over the Eagles, giving the Vikings sole possession of first place in the UMAC standings. The next series the Vikings will play in is against the fourth place team, the Minnesota Morris Cougars, whom the Vikings beat in all three games last year.

With the strong start to the 2025 season, fans have seen a couple of standout names on the field. Freshman Xander Meissner has already won two “UMAC player of the week” awards and two “all-rookie of the week” awards, nationally. Pitchers Sean Gamble, Adryen Tietz and Trent Ash have won “UMAC pitcher of the week” four times so far, combined.

The Vikings played with many returners from last season, as well as newcomers who have already put their stamp on the team. When asked about the newcomers, Russell said, “They have added a lot and joined the brotherhood we built really fast. They have been a huge part of our goals and have held the standards of being a part of this team very well and continuing to help the team reach our best potential.”

In terms of team goals, it is the same every year: to win it all. The Vikings have made the UMAC post-season twelve times, and are now looking for their thirteenth appearance, on top of winning the whole thing in the years 2018, 2019 and 2022. All parts of the team, from the players to the coaches, understand that that is the team goal every UMAC season.

Peterson said, “Our season expectations are always the same coming in. We have a standard which is winning the conference championship. With our talent and what we have done in the past, I know our ceiling is higher than that and pushing for a regional championship. We have the staff and offense to do it. When we play our best baseball we can beat any opponent we face.”

From the player' standpoint of the team’s goal this year, Russell added, “The team’s expectation is always to win the conference and make regional but also to build character and a family that is bigger than baseball. Become brothers that can rely on you even after college.”

With the team chemistry and talent showing out, it will be fun to watch how the rest of this UMAC baseball season plays out for the Vikings. With only six more games until postseason, the Vikings have their eyes set to win it all.