The Valley City State baseball team opens the 2023 spring season this weekend with a 3-game series in Nebraska.
 
The Vikings hit the road to face Mount Marty University for a trio of games at Den Hartog Baseball Field in Lincoln, Neb. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m., and then conclude the series on Sunday with a single game at 12 p.m.
 
The games were originally scheduled to be played at Mount Marty in Yankton, S.D., but weather has dictated that the games be moved farther south.
 
Live stats will be available for all three games. Mount Marty will attempt to video stream the games through its Youtube channel.
 
The Vikings enter the spring season with a 2-5 overall record after playing seven counting games this fall. Mount Marty has a 6-2 record so far after playing games the last two weekends in Nebraska and Texas.
 
Valley City State has been picked to finish sixth in the North Star Athletic Association preseason coaches' poll released last month. Mount Marty was picked third in the Great Plains Athletic Association preseason poll.
 
During the fall season, Tory Nelson led the Vikings offense with a .409 batting average and five RBIs. Adam Thompson batted .364, while Shane Nixon hit .346 with four doubles and four RBIs. Dustin Mertz hit .310 in a team-high 29 at bats, and Drew Nixon led the team with two home runs in the seven fall games.
 
On the mound, Hunter Magnuson pitched a team-high 15 innings. He struck out 15 batters, walked only five and had a 4.80 ERA. Dustin Mertz pitched 13 innings, striking out 11 and posting a 5.11 ERA. Seven other Vikings pitched at least three innings during the fall season.