COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF) LIVE STATS VS NSU | LIVE STATS VS U-MARY
This week
No. 22 Augustana (20-3, 0-0) will open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this weekend with doubleheaders at Northern State (7-11, 0-0) on Friday at 1 p.m. and University of Mary (9-6, 0-0) on Saturday at 12 p.m.
The series
The Vikings are 16-2 against Northern State and have not lost to Northern St. since the 1978 season. Augustana has never lost to U-Mary and is 9-0 in the series.
Last time out
The Vikings went undefeated (10-0) at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., and the National Training Center Spring Games in Clermont, Fla., from March 15-20.
Mind the gap
Chelsi Winskowski (Elk River, Minn.) leads the team with eight doubles this season. Winskowski is hitting .459 (28-61) in 23 games this season.
Finding her groove
Ashley Meyer (Rapid City, S.D.) went 3-0 last week at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., and 2-0 at the National Training Center Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. She had 26 strikeouts and only three walks in 29.0 innings thrown. The senior's best performance came against Tiffin (Ohio) when she threw 7.0 innings in a 7-1 win with eight strikeouts and no walks. Meyer won NSIC Pitcher of the Week for her performance.
Steel traps
As a team, Augustana has a .959 combined fielding percentage, and features four players with a perfect 1.000:
Chelsi Winskowski (Elk River, Minn.),
Kelsey Kalkman (Carver, Minn.),
Taylor Kapsch (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and
Theresa McMahon (Hartford, S.D.)
Rookie ball
Elissa Reinsma (Slayton, Minn.) and EJ?Scharmer (Mankato, Minn.) and
Matley Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) have made their marks as newcomers to the program. Reinsma is 4 for 14 (.286) at the plate with seven runs and five stolen bases in 20 games played. Scharmer has played in only four games but has managed a .500 batting average (1 for 2) with three runs, a double and an RBI. Jones has made the largest impact of true freshman. She was started 11 games (played in 20) and leads the team with a .531 batting average, including five home runs and 20 RBIs.
Working overtime
Jenelle Trautmann (Hastings, Minn.) has seen time at pitcher and designated hitter this season. Trautmann is 9-1 with a 1.63 ERA in 12 appearances in the pitcher's circle and 29 of 69 (.420) from the batter's box with eight home runs, 29 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
The closer
Chelsey Durland (Orono, Minn.) has 18 appearances for the season, but has thrown only in the later innings of the game. Durland has a team-leading 1.52 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched and has only given up seven earned runs while striking out 35.
Working the count
Elizabeth Murray (Cottage Grove, Minn.) has 16 walks for the season in 64 at-bats. Murray had 26 walks last season and could possibly break the season record of 42 walks set by Kayla Henke in 2010.
Top of her game
Matley Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) is leading the team in batting average (.531), slugging percentage (1.031) and on-base percentage (.531)
Taking care of business
Twenty-three games into the season, the Vikings are 122 of 355 (.344) at the plate with runners on base and 81 of 214 (.379) with runners in scoring position. Team leaders with runners in scoring position are
Matley Jones (Lincoln, Neb.), hitting .765, and
Chelsi Winskowski (Elk River, Minn.), hitting .563.
Viking Power
The Vikings have 29 team home runs in 23 games this season. The Vikings are currently on pace to break the team record for home runs in a season of 72, set in 2011. Team leaders in home runs are as follows:
Jenelle Trautmann 8
Matley Jones 5
Theresa McMahon 3
Chelsi Winskowski 3
Kelsey Kalkman 4
Elizabeth Murray 2
Lindsay Spanton 2
Chelsey Durland 1
Taylor Kapsch 1
Record watch
Ashley Meyer (Rapid City, S.D.) has 58 wins so far in more than two full seasons of play. With more than half the season to go, Meyer is on pace to challenge the career wins record at Augustana, currently held by Amy Kylse with 89 wins. Meyer had 29 victories last season.
Players to watch
Ashley Meyer (Rapid City, S.D.) was named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Meyer pitched in 40 games last season, posting a 29-7 record with a 1.34 ERA in 241.0 innings pitched. Meyer is 9-2 so far this season with a 1.52 ERA. Senior catcher/infielder
Elizabeth Murray (Cottage Grove, Minn.) also was named an NSIC “Player to Watch.” Last season, the catcher started all 61 games and was second on the team with a .376 batting average, including 42 RBIs and 68 hits. Murray was named All-NSIC second team last season. After 13 games this season, Murray is hitting .317 with 13 hits and nine RBIs.
National Rankings
Augustana rose to No. 22 in the latest national poll released March 20. The Vikings were previously ranked No. 23 in the March 14 poll, No. 15 in the March 7 poll, No. 7 in the Feb. 29 and Feb. 22 polls and No. 8 in the NFCA preseason poll. To view the complete poll, turn to page 6.
Coaches' corner
Gretta Melsted, head coach at Augustana since 2007, has complied an impressive 65-11 record in three seasons of NSIC competition, and is 187-108 (267-199) overall as she begins her sixth season as head coach at Augustana. In 2010 and 2011, Melsted was named the NSIC Coach of the Year. Melsted notched her 250th career win at the Desert Stinger.
Michael Mook is in his third season as a graduate assistant coach for the Augustana softball program, and works primarily with the pitching staff. Graduate assistant Kelsey Thompson is in her second year with the team.
