GAME NOTES (PDF)
This week: Augustana (6-5) travels to Lawton, Okla., on Monday and Tuesday to play Cameron (13-4) in a pair of doubleheaders. Both twinbills are slated for a 1 p.m. start at CU's McCord Field.
The series:? Augustana is 1-17 against Cameron in a series that first saw action back in 1986. The Vikings' lone win in the series came on March 29, 1988, when they beat the Aggies 6-4 in Lawton, Okla. CU has built a 15-game winning streak in the series. Head coach
Tim Huber has never faced CU. For more on the series, turn to page 15.
Last time out: The Vikings went 2-1 in a series at Drury (Mo.) on March 12 and 13. The Vikings split a doubleheader on the first day, winning Game 1 9-8 but losing Game 2 6-2. Augustana beat DU 4-1 in a single game the following day.
Follow live: The Cameron sports information office will offer live coverage of both doubleheaders. Follow this link to follow all four games live:
www.cameronaggies.com/stats/livestats/bb/xlive.htm.
A little perspective:? It's been nearly 20 years since Augustana and Cameron have played each other. In fact, the last time the two teams met, Seinfeld had just been renewed for a second season on NBC, Michael Bolton had just won a Grammy and the Mike Myers flick Wayne's World was in theaters.
Marks the spot: Hurler
Deryk Marks (Cottage Grove, Minn.) tossed 8.0 shutout innings to lead Augustana to a 4-1 victory over Drury on March 13 in Springfield, Mo. The senior gave up just three hits while fanning four batters. He also held Panther batters to a .120 batting average en route to picking his first win of the season. Marks also added two hits to help pace the Viking offense. He has made three appearances on the mound and pitched a team-high 19.0 innings in 2011. Marks has also logged a team-high 18 hits and is batting .346.
Save me some: Reliever
Bret Severtson (Flandreau, S.D.) registered his second save of the season on March 12 at Drury. The senior worked 2.0 innings--not allowing a stingle hit and striking out three. Severtson tied his own school record with seven saves last season.
Three of a kind:? Outfielder
Nate Baumann (Marshall, Minn.) has already slammed two triples this season. He recorded his first such hit against the Colorado School of Mines in the Vikings' season-opening weekend and added another on March 12 against Drury. Baumann currently leads the Vikings with 16 RBIs.
Honor roll:? Augustana has had three NSIC Player/Pitcher of the Week selections and two NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week honorees in this young season.
Nate Baumann (Marshall, Minn.) was named player of the week and
Bennett Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.) was named pitcher of the week on Feb. 22. Baumann went on to be named the player of the week in the Central Region on Feb. 25.
Deryk Marks (Cottage Grove, Minn.) picked up NSIC Player of the Week accolades on March 1 and earned the region's same honor on March 3.
Strikeout leader:? Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.) has recorded a team-high 17 strikeouts in his 14.0 innings pitched this season. The sophomore has made three starts on the mound and owns a 1-0 record. Hansen has held his opponents to a .275 batting average in 2011.
Season low matched:? The Augustana pitching staff tied a season low by allowing just five hits in their 4-1 win over Drury on March 13. Between
Deryk Marks (Cottage Grove, Minn.) and
Bennett Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.), the Vikings gave up just one run on those five hits. Augustana also gave up just five hits in a 5-4 victory over Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 26.
Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.),
Zach Weinandt (Omaha, Neb.) and
Bret Severtson (Flandreau, S.D.) split time in that contest.
On deck:? The Vikings are scheduled to be at home as early as March 26 to open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. Weather permitting, Minnesota, Crookston will visit Ronken Field for a four-game set that weekend. The Augustana coaching staff has intensely labored to ready the field for the weekend series.
Baumann on list: Outfielder
Nate Baumann (Marshall, Minn.) has been named to the watch list for the 2011 Tino Martinez Award for the most outstanding player in Division II baseball. The annual honor is named after Tino Martinez, a former player at the University of Tampa who went onto be a first-round draft pick and MLB all-star. Baumann earned NSIC Player of the Year honors in 2010 and was also named All-NSIC first team, Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA All-Central Region first team and Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA All-America second team. The outfielder hit .441 with 60 RBIs and 14 homers.
According to the coaches: Augustana was selected fourth in the 2011 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.. The Vikings garnered 118 points in the poll voted on by the NSIC's 13 head coaches.
1. Minnesota State (11) 155
2. Winona State (2) 137
3. St. Cloud State 133
4. Augustana 118
5. Wayne State 109
6. Minnesota Duluth 101
7. Southwest Minnesota State, 98
8. Concordia University, St. Paul 86
9. Upper Iowa 62
10. U-Mary 57
11. Bemidji State 55
12. Northern State 34
13. Minnesota, Crookston 25
( ) first-place votes
Regionally speaking: Augustana climbed one spot to No. 7 in last week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Central Region Poll released Monday. The Vikings collected 25 points.
Rank School Points
1. St. Cloud State (7) 70
2. Mesa State (Colo.) 60
3. Minnesota State 58
4. Nebraska-Kearney 42
5. Regis (Colo.) 37
6. Augustana 33
7. Colorado State-Pueblo 21
8. New Mexico Highlands 20
9. Metro State (Colo.) 16
10. Concordia University, St. Paul 14
Coaches' corner: Fresh off a school-record 34 wins a year ago,
Tim Huber enters his third season as the skipper of Augustana baseball in 2011. Huber owns a 67-50 record at Augustana. Prior to taking over the Vikings club, Huber spent four seasons as the head coach at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minn. He is assisted by pitching specialist Mark Moriarty and graduate assistant Jared Powell.
The Augustana Coaches' Show: Live from the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, The Augustana Coaches' Show airs each Monday at 5 p.m. Join Jeff Fylling and Augustana head coaches as they discuss various topics surrounding Viking athletics.
Stay connected: Follow Augustana all season long on its official online home, www.GoAugie.com. You can also get the latest news and updates on the Vikings on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoAugie) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GoAugie). To view video highlights and the latest episode of the Augustana Sportscene, log onto the Vikings' official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/GoAugie).
