Storylines
• No. 22 Augustana softball opens the 2014 season this Friday at the Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
• The Desert Stinger is hosted by Montana State University Billings and is in the fifth season of the season-opening tournament.
• The Vikings will play five games at the Desert Stinger from Feb. 7-8.
• The Vikings open the season and Desert Stinger against the defending NCAA Division II National Champion, University of Central Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. CT.
• Central Oklahoma enters the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country according to the National Fastpitch Association (NFCA) Top 25 Preseason Poll.
• Augustana has three games on the opening day of the tournament, taking on Adams State (6:30 p.m. CT) and Black Hills State (9 p.m. CT) after its opener with Central Oklahoma.
• Augustana will play host Montana State-Billings at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday before closing-out the tournament with the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs at 6:30 p.m.
• Augustana opens the 2014 season ranked 22nd in the country in the NFCA Top 25 Preseason Poll.
2013 in review
• Augustana finished 32-17 last season, marking its fifth straight season with 30-plus wins, while going 17-9 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to finish sixth.
• Augustana advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight season, earning the No. 6 seed for the Central Region 2 Tournament.
• Augustana had three players named to the All-NSIC team last season.
•
Theresa McMahon and
Jenelle Trautmann earned first team honors and
Carly Peterson grabbed second team accolades.
• McMahon and Trautmann each earned first team all-region honors from the NFCA and Daktronics in 2013.
• McMahon went on to earn second team All-America honors from Daktronics while Trautmann was named a third team All-American by Daktronics in 2013.
Scouting the competition
Central Oklahoma
• Defending NCAA Division II national champion Central Oklahoma enters the 2014 season as the unanimous No.1 pick in the NFCA preseason poll.
• Central Oklahoma capped off a 51-11 season in 2013 by winning the school's first ever women's national championship.
• The Bronchos waltzed through the NCAA Championships, defeating Kutztown University 5-2 in the national championship game.
• Central Oklahoma returns eight starters from last year's national championship team, including pitcher Kalynn Schrock who posted a 1.69 ERA and 34-6 record in the circle last season.
• Sophomore Ally Dziadula returns after posting a .355 batting average with 21 RBI and 58 runs scored last season.
• UCO won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship last season with a conference record of 23-3.
• Cody White is in his second season as the interim head coach at Central Oklahoma.
Adams State
• Adams State was picked to finish third in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last season and was picked to finish third in the RMAC preseason poll.
• The Grizzlies return junior outfielder Erika Ecsedy, who was named to the preseason All-RMAC team.
• Escedy batted .385 last season with 45 hits, including eight doubles, four triples and three home runs.
• Adams State opens the Desert Stinger with Notre Dame de Namur in its opening game of the tournament.
• Dervin Taylor is in his fourth season as the head coach at Adams State.
Black Hills State
• Black Hills State finished 5-31 last season, including 4-24 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
• Black Hills State returns sophomore catcher/utility Erica Everson who led the team with a .394 batting averaging last season.
• Everson also led the team with 41 hits to go along with six doubles and 16 RBI.
• Amy Gurney is in her seventh year as the head coach at Black Hills State.
Montana State University Billings
• Tournament host MSU Billings finished 12-29 last season, including 10-14 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference last season, which was good for a fifth-place finish in the league standings.
• The Yellowjackets return thirteen players from last season, including five pitchers.
• Brittney Sanders returns for her junior season after batting .330 last season earned first team All-GNAC honors.
• Second baseman Aubrey Conceicao also returns for her junior season after batting .336 with 26 RBI last year.
• Lisa Allen enters her third season as the head coach at Montana State-Billings in 2014.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
• UCCS finished 26-20-1 last season, including 19-14 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
• Junior infielder Emily Jennings returns for the Mountain Lions after batting .385 as a sophomore with seven doubles, • four home runs and three triples.
• Jennings ranked third on the team with 37 RBI and compiled a .981 fielding percentage.
• Jessica Belsterling is the top returning pitcher for UCCS after posting a 4.32 ERA and 6-9 record in the circle last season. She struck out 82 batters in 2013.
• Scott Peterson enters his 13th season as the head coach at UCCS.
--- GoAugie.com ---
