Storylines
• No. 14 Augustana College softball is set to open the 2015 season this Friday and Saturday at the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, Nev. 
• Montana State University Billings will host the Desert Stinger for the sixth season in 2015. 
• The Vikings will play five games in the season-opening tournament. 
• Augustana will play two games on Friday, Feb. 13 and three on Saturday. 
• Augustana opens the Desert Stinger against Regis (Colo.) at 4 p.m. CT on Friday. 
• The Vikings will then take on No. 3 Dixie State at 9 p.m. CT Friday night. 
• On Saturday, the Vikings will take on tournament host MSU-Billings at 1:30 p.m. before taking on Western Oregon at 4 p.m. and Humboldt State at 9 p.m. (All listed times in Central). 

National news
• Augustana opens the season ranked 14th in the Preseason National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.
• Augustana spent 13 weeks in the NFCA Top 25 last season, being ranked as high as fifth for three straight weeks. 
• The Vikings were ranked 15th in the final NFCA Top 25 Poll last season.   
• The complete list of the NFCA Preseason rankings can be found on page 4.

2014 in review
• Augustana made its fifth straight and 22nd overall NCAA Tournament appearance last season, finishing 46-15. 
• The Vikings finished 23-7 in NSIC play, which was good for a third-place finish in the final league standings. 
• Augustana hosted the Super Regional Tournament for the third time since 2011 last season. 
• Augustana won 40-plus games for the fourth time in the last five seasons in 2014. 
• Augustana had five players earn All-NSIC honors last season, including first team selections Jenelle Trautmann and Lindsay Spanton. 
• Sarah Kennedy, Mackenzie Alstott and Carley Pickett earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in 2014. 
• Trautmann was later named Second Team All-America by the NFCA.

Scouting the competition
Regis (Colo.)
• Regis University enters the Desert Stinger with a record of 3-3 on the season. 
• The Rangers opened the 2015 season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Ariz. last weekend. 
• Regis has scored 29 runs in six games, with six doubles, two triples and one home run. 
• Delaney McGinn leads the Rangers with a .421 batting average and has one double and one home run. 
• Nicole Aviles started three games in the circle for the Rangers last weekend and boasted a 1-2 record while striking out 18 batters in 21 innings of work. 
• Nicole Trimboli is in her fourth season as the head coach at Regis. 
• Augustana is 5-2 all-time against Regis. The two teams last met at in 2009. 

Dixie State
• Dixie State enters the season ranked third in the NFCA Top 25 Poll. 
• Dixie State finished 51-10 in 2014 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last season, falling 2-1 to eventual National Champion West Texas A&M.
• Dixie State is 4-2 this season after opening its season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Ariz. last weekend. 
• Dixie State won its first four games before falling 2-1 to Central Oklahoma and 5-4 to West Texas A&M at the leadoff classic. 
• In its first six games, Dixie State scored 44 runs while allowing 13 with six doubles, one triple and three home runs. 
• Senior Courtney Hine is leading the team with a .421 batting average after six games. 
• Aryn Feickert posted a 2-1 record in the circle last weekend with a 2.00 ERA while striking out 29 batters.
• Randy Simkins is in his seventh season as the head coach at Dixie State.
• This will be the first meeting between Augustana and Dixie State.

Montana State-Billings
• Tournament-host MSU-Billings will open its season this weekend at the Desert Stinger. 
• This marks the fifth straight season MSU-Billings has hosted the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, Nev. 
• The Yellowjackets finished 20-20 last season, including 10-13 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  
• MSU-Billings was picked to finish sixth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• The Yellowjackets return all but three players from last year's team, including six of their seven top hitters. 
• Senior catcher Brittney Sanders returns after hitting .353 with seven home runs and 36 RBI last season. 
• Lisa Allen is in her fourth season as the head coach at MSU-Billings.
• Augustana is 2-0 all-time against MSU-Billings. The Vikings defeated the Yellowjackets 2-0 in Las Vegas last season.

Western Oregon
• Western Oregon enters the weekend at 2-4 after opening its season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Ariz. last weekend. 
• The Wolves are batting .287 as a team on the season and have scored 36 runs with eight doubles, three tripels and two home runs. 
• Amanda Evola is leading the team batting .435 with 1a team-high 10 hits. 
• Alyson Boytz made four appearances in the circle last season and is 0-3 with a 3.78 ERA. 
• Lonny Sargent is in his third season as the head coach at Western Oregon. 
• This will be the first meeting between Augustana and Western Oregon. 

Humboldt State
• Humboldt State opens the season on Wednesday, Feb. 11 taking on California Baptist University on the road. 
• Humboldt State finished 46-16 last season and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and advanced to the NCAA West Region playoffs. 
• Humboldt State returns seven starters and four all-conference performers. 
• Sophomore second baseman Tiffany Hollingsworth earned was named NFCA Second Team All-America as a freshman and was named to the NFCA Division II Player of the Year Watch List. 
• Shelli Maher-Sarchett is in her second season as the head coach at Humboldt State.
• Humboldt State won the only other meeting with Augustana, defeating the Vikings 4-3 on Feb. 3, 2003. 

The Reign of Trautmann -- Home run Queen enters senior season
• Senior pitcher/utility player Jenelle Trautmann enters her senior season as a three-time All-America and First Team All-NSIC selection. 
• Trautmann was named the NSIC's Preseason Player of the Year in 2015. 
• Trautmann started all 61 games last season, batting .337 with 10 doubles, a team-high 19 home runs and 58 RBI. 
• Her 19 home runs last season set the single season record at Augustana, which she previously set with 18 in 2012 and 2013. 
• Trautmann is the program's all-time leader in home runs and enters the season with 55 round-trippers. 
• Trautmann is 24 home runs shy of the career NCAA record of 79. 
• Steph Denlinger (Kutztown, 2006-09) is the all-time leader in home runs in Division II with 79. 

The Ring of Fire
• Senior Jenelle Trautmann made 42 appearances in the circle last season, posting a 27-7 record with a 2.82 ERA while striking out 172 batters. 
• In 31 starts, Trautmann tossed four complete games and held opponents to a .242 batting average. 
• Trautmann enters the season with a career record of 72-24 with 120 pitching appearances. 
• Trautmann has struck out 506 batters in 545.1 innings of work.

The Bookend 
• Junior left-handed pitcher Carley Pickett led all of NCAA Division II in saves in 2014. 
• Pickett recorded nine saves last season and enters 2015 with 13 career saves. 
• Pickett needs five saves to tie the career record at Augustana and six to become the all-time leader in saves. 
• Pickett posted a 2.32 ERA last season, picking up 17 wins in 41 appearances (26 starts). 
• Pickett tossed eight complete games and five shutouts while striking out 128 batters in 165.2 innings of work. 

Steady as she goes
• Sophomore shortstop Sarah Kennedy returns after earning All-NSIC First Team honors as a freshman last season. 
• Kennedy started all 61 games and batted in the No. 3 hole last season. 
• Kennedy led the team with 75 hits and a .373 batting average. 
• Kennedy finished the season with nine home runs, six doubles and one triple while driving in 31 runs. 

At the hot corner
• Senior Caitlin Nichol started all 61 games at third base last season and returns for her senior campaign in 2015. 
• Nichol was named a "Player to Watch" in the NSIC in 2015. 
• Nichol batted .322 with 64 hits, including eight doubles and 14 home runs last season. 
• Nichol drove in 40 runs and compiled a .573 slugging percentage and a .421 on-base percentage. 
• Nichol stole 14 bases in 16 attempts and was hit by a pitch a team-high 22 times.