—Photo courtesy of Iowa Central athletics

The 13th-ranked Iowa Central baseball team returns home in hopes of extending their season yet again.

The Tritons (42-15 overall) host Dakota County beginning here Friday at Rogers Park for the North Plains District title.

First-pitch in the best-of-three opener is set for 3 p.m. Saturday’s opening game begins at 1 p.m. with a third and final contest if needed starting 45 minutes after the conclusion.

Eric Stein’s cardiac squad knocked off top-seed and No. 6 Southeastern to capture a regional title last weekend in Carroll. After falling earlier in the day, 20-11, Iowa Central scored a thrilling win when Spencer Pederson drove in two runs in the 10th, 9-8.

The Tritons have gone 29-4 at home this season and are 83-15 over the past three years on home soil.

Chayton Fischer is hitting a team-high .396 with Cooper Nicholson, Sawyer Stein, Luke Sigwarth and Jacob Coshenet all over .300. Nicholson has hit 21 home runs while Jake Busson has 20 with 82 RBI.

Nicholson has also scored 80 runs with 11 doubles, 18 steals and 45 walks, with Fischer adding 64 RBI and Cade Sears 28 steals.

On the mound, Chris McCormack is 9-0 with two saves, 71 strikeouts and a 2.37 earned run average. Ryan Ohm is 7-2 with 80 strikeouts and Carter Giesen sports an 8-2 record with 74 strikeouts.

The Tritons are looking to reach the NJCAA Div. II World Series for the first time since 2010.

Dakota County (37-16) won the Region XIII title, scoring consecutive victories over Miles and Bismarck State by a total of 29-7. They have won 20 in a row after starting the year 17-16.

Nate Heymann and Evan Nelson are both hitting .362 with 87 combined RBI and 17 home runs.

The NJCAA Div. II World Series is set for May 24-31 from David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Ok.