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This week
Augustana (15-10, 10-4 NSIC) is on the road for six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games this week. The Vikings will face Southwest Minnesota State (16-9, 6-4 NSIC) on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and Bemidji State (13-13, 6-6 NSIC) on Saturday and Sunday at noon. All meetings are doubleheaders.
The series
Augustana is 32-37 against Southwest Minnesota State in a series that dates back to the 1980 season. The two teams played a non-conference twinbill earlier this season in the Metrodome; the Mustangs posted 5-2 and 4-2 victories. Head coach
Tim Huber, a former SMSU assistant, is 5-8 against his old team. Augustana holds a 13-4 advantage in the series with Bemidji State. The two teams first played during the 1960 season. The Vikings have won the last 10 games between the two programs, including taking a four-game series from the Beavers last season in Sioux Falls. Huber is 10-1 against BSU. For more on both series, turn to pages 13 and 14.
Last time out
Augustana went 4-2 last week in six conference games. On Wednesday, the Vikings topped Wayne State 6-2 before falling to the Wildcats 10-1. Projected bad weather moved Augustana's games at Minnesota, Crookston up one day to Thursday and Friday. The Vikings split in the opening doubleheader, beating the Golden Eagles 13-3 and losing 2-0. Friday's twinbill resulted in 2-0 and 10-0 wins for Augustana.
Right-handed renegade
After a record-tying performance against Minnesota, Crookston this past Friday, right-handed pitcher
Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.) was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA Central Region Pitcher of the Week. Hansen tied an Augustana school record for strikeouts in a 2-0, eight inning win over UMC. Hansen's 17 strikeouts tied Clayton Kopple's mark set in 1971 in a 3-2 win over the University of South Dakota. Hansen, who is now 3-3, put together a one hitter to go along with his record-tying outing. This is the second weekly conference award for Hansen this season and fourth of his career. Hansen was named player of the week on April 19, 2011, and March 19, 2012, and pitcher of the week on May 2, 2011, and April 9, 2012.
Double threat
While
Derek Hansen (Fergus Falls, Minn.) has made an impact as a starting pitcher, his presence at the dish this season cannot be ignored. Hansen leads the Vikings in hits (32), RBIs (23), triples (3) and total bases (55). He also leads the team in multi-hit games (12) and multi-RBI games (6). The junior's longest hitting streak this season was a six-game string.
Freshman phenom
True freshman
Jack Goihl (Robbinsdale, Minn.) is experiencing a stellar rookie campaign. Goihl leads the team with five home runs in 2012 and is third on the squad with 13 RBIs. He is batting .389 (21 of 54) and has six multi-hit and four multi-RBI games. He has started 16 games--primarily at designated hitter--but has also seen time at first base and catcher. Goihl has hit safely in his past eight games, which is the longest hitting streak by a Viking this season.
Gotham City
Junior right-hander
Sam Gotham (Eden Prairie, Minn.) pitched 4.0 innings in a no decision last Wednesday against Wayne State, striking out four and giving up one run on two hits. Gotham, however, also got his first at bat since the 2010 season. After entering the game in the No. 9 spot, the Vikings were reluctant to remove an effective Gotham from the hill. Instead,
Tim Huber had him take a couple at bats. Gotham, who was signed as an infielder/pitcher, ripped a single in his first plate appearance and reached on a fielder's choice in his second.
Conference chat
Augustana continues to sit near the top of the NSIC standings. The Vikings' 10-4 mark in conference play has them in second place behind 9-1 Minnesota State. St.?Cloud State is in third at 7-3. The top six teams in the final NSIC standings qualify for the conference tournament.
Familiar face
Head baseball coach
Tim Huber Wednesday will make a return appearance to a park where he spent two years as an assistant coach. Huber studied under Southwest Minnesota State skipper Paul Blanchard from 2003 to 2004.
Takin' bases
The Viking are huge conference leaders in stolen bases. Augustana has swiped 30 bases in league games--11 more than Upper Iowa. In all games this season, the Vikings have stolen 51 bases. Four players have registered at least six this season:
Brian Knight (Maple Plain, Minn.) has 10,
Jack Goihl (Robbinsdale, Minn.) has seven and
Brendan Phillips (Bozeman, Mont.) and
David Borchardt (St. Michael, Minn.) each have six.
Tim Huber's teams are known for being aggressive in this area. His 2010 squad set a school record with 138 stolen bases, while his 2011 team ranks second all-time with 111. In 2009, Huber's crew tallied 84, which ranks third in school history.
Road warriors
This week's away games are part of a 10-game road swing for the Vikings. Augustana returns home on April 17 when it plays Minnesota State. Following the MSU games, the Vikings have four additional dates at Ronken Field, while the remaining four doubleheaders are in road venues.
Writers' rankings
Augustana dipped one spot to No. 8 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Central Region rankings released Tuesday. The Vikings collected 26 points. Six of the top 10 teams are from the NSIC.
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.
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.
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 106-79, 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.
