Storylines and history• Augustana baseball is set to make its second ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the Central Regional Tournament on Thursday.
• The No. 6 seed Vikings will face No. 1 seed and host Arkansas Tech.
• All games will be played at Tech Field in Russellville, Ark.
• First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• The Wonder Boys lead the all-time series 5-3 against Augustana.
• The two teams last met back in 2009 with the Vikings defeating Arkansas Tech 2-1 in a three-game series.
• Augustana has won the last two meetings against the Wonder Boys.
• The NCAA Central Region Tournament has a double-elimination format.
• If the Vikings win, they play the loser of No. 3 Minnesota State and No. 4 Emporia State on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
• If the Vikings lose, they play the loser of No. 2 Southern Arkansas and No. 5 Arkansas-Monticello in an elimination game on Friday at 12 p.m.
Vikings take home NSIC Tournament Championship• Augustana made history this past week, winning their first NSIC Tournament Championship.
• The Vikings ran through the opposition, going 4-0 en route to taking home the title.
• Augustana defeated No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State 12-5 in the opening round of the tournament.
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Jake Petersen gave the Vikings a dominant effort at the plate, going 3 for 5 with three RBI.
• Augustana notched 17 hits in the win, their 14th game this year with at least 15-plus hits.
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Kye Winter (8-0) pushed his win total to eight on the season, giving the Vikings a solid performance on the mound.
• Winter went six innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits. The Willow Lake, S.D. also struck out eight in the win.
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Cole Jenkins picked up his first save of the year in a relief appearance. Jenkins came in for the final three innings and shut the Mustangs down, giving up just two hits and no runs.
• Augustana kept their championship run going with a 7-5 win agains St. Cloud on Thursday.
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Alex Fink and
Jack Goihl provided the late-game heroics with back-to-back blasts in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Vikings a 7-5 lead.
• It was Goihl's second straight game with a homerun in the tournament.
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Marcus O'Neill turned in a 3-for-3 day at the plate and had two RBI and three runs scored.
• Goihl and Fink each went 2 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored.
• Petersen scored two runs in the win.
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Derek Quame picked up his second win in 2014 with a relief appearance.
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Tony Viger picked up the save in the game, his second on the year.
• Augustana worked its way into the championship with a 17-2 win over Wayne State on Friday.
• The Vikings 17 runs on 21 hits were both new season highs.
• Fink dialed up his best day at the plate of the season, going 4 for 6 with four RBI and three runs scored.
• Viger bounced back with a 3-for-6 performance, which included three RBI.
• Seven Augustana players recorded multi-games in the contest.
• The Vikings took home the title on Saturday in a 4-3 win over Winona State.
• Augustana erased a 3-0 deficit in the game by scoring all four of its runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
• Winter was the lone Viking with multiple hits in the win, going 2 for 4 and driving one run in.
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Bennett Johnson (6-3) was the victor for Augustana, going 5.2 innings and giving up just one earned run on seven hits.
• Quame recorded his ninth save of the year with a 3.1 inning gem on the mound.
Much praise deserved indeed• Augustana was rewarded for its success this season with five players named the All-NSIC first and second teams.
• Viger, Goihl, Petersen, and Winter were named All-NSIC first team.
• O'Neill was a All-NSIC second team selection for the Vikings.
• Viger also took home NSIC Player of the Year honors for his stellar play this season.
• Viger became the first Viking to win the award since Nate Baumann back in 2010.
• Fink, Goihl, Viger, O'Neill, and Petersen were named to the All-NSIC Tournament team after their successful run to the title this past week.
About Augustana• The Vikings are currently 40-14 (25-8 NSIC) this season.
• Augustana is hitting .343 on the year, first in the NSIC and fourth in the NCAA.
• The Vikings are averaging 7.70 runs per game this season, second in the NSIC, and 10th nationally.
• Augustana has 376 RBI this year, first in the NSIC by over 40 RBI.
• The Vikings have an NSIC-leading 109 stolen bases on the season, which also ranks 18th in the country.
• Augustana holds a .513 slugging percentage as a team, first in the NSIC by over 44 points, and sixth in the NCAA.
• The Vikings lead the NSIC in runs scored with 415, seventh in the nation.
• Augustana has 590 hits, first in the NSIC by 42 hits over St. Cloud State's 548, eighth nationally.
• The Vikings' 133 doubles rank first in the NSIC and are second in triples with 18.
• Augustana ranks first in the NSIC in homeruns with 41, which is good for 14th in the NCAA.
• Viger's .721 slugging percentage ranks second in the NSIC and is third in batting at .423 which are both Augustana highs.
• Viger leads the NSIC and the NCAA with 28 doubles already this year.
• Viger is first the NSIC in runs scored with 63, with O'Neill second ,trailing by five with 58.
• Viger also leads the NSIC in hits with 88, third most in the NCAA.
• The trio of Viger (61 RBI, first), Fink (54 RBI, third), and Goihl (53 RBI, fourth) are among the top five in the NSIC in runs batted in.
• Goihl is second in the NSIC in stolen bases with 22.
• Goihl is fourth in homeruns in the NSIC with a team-leading 11, Viger is tied for fifth with 10 bombs.
• Winter has been the top Augustana pitcher so far this year, going 8-0 with a 3.75 ERA.
• Winter ranks 12th in the NSIC in opposing batting average, holding hitters to a .235 average.
• Winter and Letkewicz's eight wins are ranked tied for third in the NSIC.
• Letkewicz is second in the league with 84 strikeouts on the season and the right-handed sophomore is eighth in the NSIC in opposing batting average with a .219 mark.
• Quame is third in the NSIC with 21 appearances and second in saves at nine.
• Talk about a hitter's lineup: The Vikings' Viger (.423, third), Goihl (.406, fourth), Petersen (.387, sixth), Fink (.385, 15th) and O'Neill (.368, 15th) all rank in the top 15 in the NSIC in batting average.
About Arkansas Tech• The Wonder Boys own a record of 42-10.
• Arkansas Tech is hitting .295 at the plate on the year, second in the GAC.
• ATU has a .423 slugging percentage, second in the GAC.
• The Wonder Boys 327 runs scored on the year are second in the GAC.
• Arkansas Tech is ranked second in the GAC in hits with 492.
• ATU has 290 RBI in 2014, also second in the GAC.
• The Wonder Boys got some power behind their swing, finishing third in the GAC with 28 homeruns.
• Mike Kattula leads the team with a .371 batting average
• Kattula also leads the team in homers with six and slugging percentage at .609.
• Kris Ayers has driven in the most runs with 42 on the year.
• Mason Reynolds has been the staff ace for Arkansas Tech, going 8-0 in 11 starts.
• Reynolds has a 3.41 ERA on the year in 63.1 innings and 40 strikeouts.
• Randy Vallejo has racked up 17 saves in a closer role for ATU this season.
• Trent Armstrong also remains unbeaten with a 7-0 record in 17 appearances.
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