MITCHELL — It’s time for Dakota Wesleyan University baseball.

Yes, in January.

Yes, in Mitchell.

DWU opens the season with a doubleheader against Valley City State (N.D.) at Drake Field on Thursday. The school announced Monday that the games were on. The Tigers were originally scheduled to face Columbia College (Mo.) as part of a road trip down south beginning on Saturday, Feb. 1.

With the schedule change in place, it’s clear to Tigers head coach Charlie Dubanoski that there’s great anticipation from everyone of getting to play a season opener at home.

“I know the excitement level is way up with the fact that we get to play at home and the weather doesn't hurt,” Dubanoski said. “We'll be able to get outside and practice all week, and everybody that’s run into me is excited for us to have home baseball in January. That’s another boost to have all the support.”

The weather has been more than cooperative. Mitchell averages 10.1 inches of snow in December and 6.9 inches of snow in January since 2000, according to National Weather Service data. This season, Mitchell has received 3 inches of snow since the start of the winter season. It rivals Mitchell's record dry winter in 2000, when the city had no total snowfall through Jan. 28.

It will be the earliest home opener in recorded history for the Tigers when they take the field for the first game. The last time DWU played baseball before March in South Dakota was a doubleheader against Dakota State on Feb. 20, 2022. Those games were held at Aspen Park in Brandon.

DWU will be playing its home opener 31 days early, as they were previously scheduled to open Drake Field's season on March 2 against Northern State.

Logistically, Dubanoski helped arrange new opponents for the Tigers, as they canceled games against Columbia and Graceland University (Iowa) in order to free up the schedule to play at home, along with getting umpires to cover the games at Drake Field. In addition to Thursday's doubleheader against the Vikings, DWU also hosts Dickinson State (N.D.) for a twin bill on Saturday, Feb. 1.

Forecasted temperatures for Mitchell on Thursday calls for a high of 50 degrees and sunny skies, presenting the perfect opportunity for DWU to have a true home opener. Knowing the season was going to begin earlier this year before the change, Dubanoski told the players to be ready to go when they returned to campus on Jan. 13 for practice, with the games at home only adding to the accelerated build up to game speed.

“We already knew we were going to play this weekend, which was a little bit sooner than we typically start playing,” Dubanoski said. “We were like, ‘You boys better be ready to go. We're going to start doing live practice on day one.’ I think we're about as ready as we can be.”

For one year at least, it gives DWU a feeling of what southern college baseball teams get to experience. The NAIA allows games to begin on Jan. 23 this season but most years, DWU is fortunate to get home games played by March. But it's another instance of the Tigers taking advantage of the artificial turf at Drake Field, which will be used for the third full college season in 2025.

Last season, DWU was 13-35 and was picked to finish in eighth place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll in 2025. The team returns four of its five all-GPAC honorable mention picks from 2024, which include pitchers Mitchell Sand and Alexander Mizsak and outfielders Lane Darrow and Caleb Meyers.

With the game also serving as Valley City’s season opener, Dubanoski expects the Tigers to face their best arms on the mound, placing a premium on scoring runs on both sides of the diamond. With the Vikings’ approach at the plate similar to DWU, the game will come down to who can make the fewest mistakes on defense.

“We can't really have a lapse defensively because they’ll take advantage of that,” Dubanoski said. “Everybody's a tough out and we’ll just try and wear their pitchers out and hopefully have good results out of it.”

First pitch for DWU’s home opening doubleheader against Valley City State is scheduled for noon on Thursday, Jan. 30, with the second game beginning approximately at 2 p.m. at Drake Field.