VCSU – Vikings softball will be hitting the road this weekend due to unplayable field conditions at the VCSU Softball Complex.

Coming up this weekend, the Vikings were set to host Dickinson State in a regularly scheduled four-game series on Friday and Saturday. But that series will shift to Dickinson instead. Friday game times are 3pm and 5pm Central Time. Saturday, games will be at 12:30pm and 2:30pm Central Time.

Bismarck State comes to town for a doubleheader on Sunday. These games were originally scheduled for April 3rd and 4th in Bismarck. They were rescheduled for the 6th and 8th in Bismarck. Then they were rescheduled for the 8th and the 13th, again in Bismarck. Now they will play two games in Valley City on April 12th and two games in Bismarck on April 22nd. Games on Sunday will be at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Valley City State comes into this weekend on a four-game winning streak. VCSU is 16-13 overall and 6-2 in the Frontier Conference, which places them on top of the conference standings. Providence is second with a 9-3 mark and this weekend’s opponent, Dickinson State is 10-4. The Blue Hawks are 22-12 overall. The Blue Hawks hold a decisive advantage in the series since 2006 winning 67 of 100 games. However, under Matt Gable, the Vikings are 8-7 against Dickinson State, who was the preseason favorite to win the Frontier Conference.

Sunday’s opponent, Bismarck State is currently 3-7 in the conference and 8-23 overall. This will be the first meeting between these two schools since BSC became a four-year college.

The Vikings are led offensively by Kennadi Stone and Kylee Banerd, the right side of the infield. Stone is hitting .443 on the season with three home runs and 22 RBI. She leads the team in hits (35), doubles (9), total bases (53), walks (18) and on-base percentage (.571). Banerd is hitting .408 with a team leading five home runs and 14 RBI. She leads the team in OPS (on base plus slugging percentage, 1.324), and slugging percentage (.816). The young Vikings have received multiple contributions from the freshmen. Bailey Leroux is hitting .370, Pascale Kihn .344, Madden Bogenreif .329, Reagan Meiras .318, and Hadley Gerle .308. Bogenreif leads the team in runs scored (23) and is second with three home runs. Sophomore Jenna Decker leads the team in stolen bases with 14 and at bats with 94.

The pitching staff is led by sophomores Maddy Hazelton and Cooper Klaahsen. Hazelton is 8-8 with two saves on the season with a 3.61 ERA. She has 82 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. She has pitched two shutouts this season and has eight complete games. Klaahsen is 5-3 with a 4.48 ERA. She has 52 strikeouts in 50 innings. Junior Grace Folkema has started ten games this season and has a 2-2 record with one save. She has 34 strikeouts in 35 innings.