Augustana University Athletics

Keeping Dave Hughes from reaching base was a priority for Augustana baseball opponents. It was not an easy task. He challenged defenses with a combination of power and speed. Simply put, he was a tough out.

In 1982, Dave led the NCC in stolen bases with a league record 16 in as many games. He also set the Augustana stolen base mark that year by swiping 26 bases in 29 games. Also a threat at the plate, he earned All-NCC honors by hitting .500 for the third highest average in the league. He was also Augie's leading hitter that year with a .429 mark.

A co-captain of the 1983 team, Dave was also a leader and an excellent student. He was on the Dean's List at Augustana and was selected to the Academic All-NCC team in 1983.

One game in particular stands out in Dave's mind from his days at Augustana. He wrote, "Unfortunately, the wins were not plentiful. However, I recall a game my freshman year against my brother, Chuck, who was a senior at USD. The Argus Leader did a nice story on it. I wanted to have a great game, but now I can't remember a thing about it. Another fun aspect about Augie baseball was traveling south to play Division I schools like the University of Nebraska, Iowa State, and Wichita State. It was always fun to see how we could compete as a team and personally against Division I competition. I remember giving Iowa State a run for their money before losing 4-2.

Dave's fondest memories are of his teammates. He said, "Most importantly, were the friends and friendships I developed at Augustana. All of the guys I also played with or against in the summer in amateur ball. I still call many of them friends." He is also thankful to two Augustana people. He wrote, "Larry Borgum has also been such a great supporter of Augie and Sioux Falls athletics." Kenneth Bauge, my economics professor had a big influence on my life. He gave me my only good grade my first semester at Augie. I graduated with an Economics major and he got me excited about economics."