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This week
Augustana (0-2) travels to Springfield, Mo., this weekend for a three-game series at Drury (6-3). First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader (seven/nine innings) is slated for noon, while Sunday's single nine-inning game will start at 1 p.m.
The series
Augustana is 2-5 against Drury in a series that dates back to the 2008 season. The Vikings beat the Panthers twice in a three-game series last season in Springfield, Mo. All seven meetings between Augustana and DU have been in Springfield. Head coach
Tim Huber is 2-3 against the Panthers.
Last time out
Wayne State took a non-conference doubleheader from Augustana Feb. 26 in Emporia, Kan., rolling to 7-3 and 9-1 wins. The Wildcats poured in six runs in the second inning of the opening game to cruise to their win. They then used another six-run inning--this one in the sixth--en route to their Game 2 victory.
Kye Winter (5),
Tony Viger (2) and
Brian Knight (2) all finished the doubleheader with multiple hits.
Scouting Drury
Drury is 6-3 this season and has played all but one game at their home facility, Meador Park. The Panthers' lone losses have come to Washburn (Kan.) and McKendree (Ill.). Mason Roller is batting .478 with two doubles and six RBIs for DU, while Alex Larkin leads the team with nine RBIs. Will Landsheft is 2-0 on the hill and has shouldered a bulk of the load for the Panthers so far, working a team-high 13.0 innings. He has struck out 13 batters and has a 1.38 ERA. Mark Stratton is in his sixth season as the skipper at DU. He has compiled a 153-115 record at the school. The Panthers, who finished 35-19 a year ago, are members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Winter weather
Junior
Kye Winter (Willow Lake, S.D.) leads the Vikings with five hits in seven at bats for the Vikings through two games. He ripped off four hits, including a double, in as many at bats against Wayne State in Augustana's season opener on Feb. 26. Winter also pitched 2.0 innings in the night cap against WSC. He struck out five in his first and only appearance of 2012.
South-paw strikeouts
Left-hander
Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.) struck out seven batters in Game 1 against Wayne State on Feb. 28. The junior, however, was tagged with the loss after going 4.2 innings and giving up three runs on three hits. Hansen made 13 appearances and finished 5-4 in 2011.
According to the coaches
Augustana was picked fifth in the 2012 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference office announced Jan. 18. The Vikings received 104 points from the league's 13 head coaches. Minnesota State was selected as the preseason favorite with 133 points and four first-place votes.
Rk. School Pts.
1. Minnesota State (4) 133
2. St. Cloud State (6) 132
3. Winona State (3) 130
4. Wayne State 105
5. Augustana 104
6. Minnesota Duluth 86
7. Concordia-St. Paul 80
8. Upper Iowa 63
9. Southwest Minnesota State 53
10. Bemidji State 50
11. Northern State 39
12. University of Mary 27
13. Minnesota, Crookston 12
( ) first-place votes
Hansen on list
Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.) is included on the initial watch list for the 2012 Tino Martinez Award for the most outstanding player in Division II baseball. The annual honor is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, Olympian and Major League Baseball All-Star Tino Martinez. Nominations for the award were made by baseball sports information contacts and media members. Hansen recorded a team high 13 starts on the mound in 2011. He worked 57 innings, pitched a pair of three-hitters, and finished with a 5-4 record. His 62 strikeouts were second highest on the Vikings' staff. He had five games in which he retired at least five batters on strikes. He batted .263 for the season with seven doubles and two home runs. He also stole nine bases in 10 attempts.
Region rankings
Augustana spent three weeks in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Central Region rankings earlier this season. The Vikings debuted at No. 7 in the preseason rankings, moved up to No. 5 on Feb. 14 and returned to seventh on Feb. 21. Augustana has since dropped out.
Let's move it inside
Tim Huber's crew will play six games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., following this weekend's series at Drury. Augustana is scheduled to face U-Mary in single games on March 17 and 18. The Vikings will then play St. Cloud State and Southwest Minnesota State in a pair of doubleheaders on March 19 and 20. All of those contests are non-conference affairs.
National news
Augustana is coming off its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in program history. The Vikings received a bid as the No. 6 seed in the Central Region in 2011. The Vikings were eliminated by host St. Cloud State and Colorado Mesa in their first two games.
A look back
Last season, the Vikings went 30-24, including a 20-12 record in the NSIC. And for the first time in school history, Augustana landed a berth in the NCAA tournament. The Vikings have posted back-to-back 30 win seasons, setting a school record for victories in 2010 with 34.
In the pros
Augustana has three players from its 2011 roster active on professional squads.
Nate Baumann and
Drew Heithoff signed with the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League in December. Closer
Bret Severtson is on the pitching staff with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. Severtson also spent a portion of last summer pitching for the Lake County Fielders of the North American League. They are three of nine players from Augustana who have made it to the next level.
Coaches' corner
Head coach
Tim Huber begins his fourth season at Augustana in 2012. He has compiled a career record of 91-69, led the Vikings to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament and mentored two players to seven All-America citations. Huber is assisted by pitching specialist and one-time professional hurler Mark Moriarty, former Division II catcher Bryan Nikkel, prior Division I infielder Jared Powell and past Viking
Charlie Dubanoski.
