Lincoln, NE (May 7th, 2025) - A resounding 21-19 regular season, coupled with a 10-14 A-R-C record, has earned Nebraska Wesleyan the number six seed in the 2025 American Rivers Conference baseball tournament. The Prairie Wolves will face third seeded Luther on Thursday, with winner advancing to face second seeded Coe. The loser will face the loser of Wartburg versus Simpson.
LOCATION & GAME TIMES
First pitch between Nebraska Wesleyan and Luther is set for 11:00 a.m. The loser will face either Simpson or Wartburg at 3:00 p.m., with the winner taking on Coe at 5:00 p.m. The Prairie Wolves first game will be held at Mount Mercy University with most other games in the tournament being played at Rise 2 Greatness Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA WESLEYAN
Nebraska Wesleyan dropped three straight games to Luther last weekend, and looks to bounce back in tournament play. The Prairie Wolves finished the 2025 regular season with 21 wins, which marks the program's most since winning 28 in 2009. The Prairie Wolves 10 American Rivers Conference victories helped NWU earn its first American Rivers Conference tournament berth since 2022. The Black and Gold finished the regular season with a team slash line if .287/.368/.435, while driving in 250 runs on 379 hits. The Prairie Wolf offense features four players with a .300 or better batting average, including
Aaron Chazin who bats at .335. Chazin has recorded a team best 53 hits, while driving in 16 RBIs.
Carter Betts ranks second on the team in hits with 51, while
Easton Johnson rounds out the top three with 48 hits. Johnson also leads the team with 37 RBIs. Defensively, Nebraska Wesleyan's pitching staff holds a team ERA of 6.61, while recording 275 strike outs. The defense has backed up the pitching staff by posting a .942 fielding percentage and tallying 971 putouts.
HEAD COACH JEFF CHRISTY
Jeff Christy is in his first season as the head coach at Nebraska Wesleyan. He holds a 21-19 record. Christy comes to NWU from Nebraska where he served as an assistant coach from 2019-2023.
NEBRASKA WESLEYAN BASEBALL TRADITION
Nebraska Wesleyan has won 23 conference championships with the most recent occurring in 2009. NWU's last tournament appearance occurred in 1982. Since joining the American Rivers Conference, the Prairie Wolves best finish is third in 2022.
AMERICAN RIVERS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
All but two games of The 2025 American Rivers Conference tournament will be played at Rise 2 Greatness Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The remaining two games will be hosted by Mount Mercy University. The official championship website can be found
here. Wartburg College has won the most conference tournament titles with 10.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Luther enters the A-R-C tournament seeded third after finish the regular season with a 19-20 record, and a 13-11 mark in conference action. The Norse hold a slash line of .293/.386/.437, while scoring 265 runs on 380 hits. The Norse are coached by Bryan Nikkel, in his 11th season.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST LUTHER COLLEGE
Thursday will mark the 29th meeting between Nebraska Wesleyan and Luther. The Norse hold a 21-7 all time series lead.
