Storylines
• No. 23 Augustana College softball (3-2) returns to action this Friday-Sunday with five games at the Huskydome Classic in St. Cloud, Minn. 
• The Vikings will play five teams from the Mid-America Athletic Association. 
• Augustana opens the weekend with Central Missouri (2-2) on Friday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m.
• The Vikings will then take on Missouri Western (5-4) at 9 p.m. Friday. 
• Augustana will play just one game on Saturday, squaring-off against Emporia State (3-1) at 10 a.m.
• Augustana is back in action with two more games on Sunday, starting with Fort Hays State (1-3) at 10 a.m.
• Augustana will close-out the five-game trip against Nebraska-Kearney (0-4) at 2:30 p.m.

Desert Stinger recap
• Augustana went 3-2 in its season-opening weekend at the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas last weekend. 
• The Vikings won their season-opener, defeating Regis (Colo.) 6-5 in extra innings on a walk-off two-run home run by Karlee Koopman. 
• The Desert Stinger used the international tiebreaker to decide extra inning games, and Koopman led off the eighth inning with a two-run blast to lift the Vikings over Regis. 
• The walk-off bomb by Koopman was the first home run of her career and it came at a pretty big time. 
• The Vikings trailed Regis 4-1 before Jenelle Trautmann blasted a three-run home run to the game. 
• Later on Friday, Augustana took on third-ranked Dixie State and came out on top of a pitcher's duel 2-1. 
• Trautmann struck out seven batters and held Dixie State to just one run as the Vikings moved to 2-0 on day one of the Desert Stinger. 
• Koopman came up with the game-winning hit with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning that put the Vikings up 2-1. 
• Dixie State plated a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh but Trautmann stranded a runner on second setting the Red Storm down to pick up the complete-game victory. 
• In the first of three games on Saturday, Montana State University-Billings used a three-run top of the seventh to defeat the Vikings 8-6. 
• The Vikings bounced back with a 12-5 win over Western Oregon, behind a season-high 12 hits. 
• Caitlin Nichol went 4 for 4 at the plate with four singles and four runs scored. 
• Sarah Kennedy finished 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. 
• Trautmann was 2 for 5 with two home runs, including a three-run shot in the top of the third inning. 
• Jordan Schaffer also hit a home run in the win for the Vikings, a three-run shot in the top of the sixth. 
• The Vikings took on 19th-ranked Humboldt State in the finale on Saturday night and came up short in a 9-2 loss. 
• Humboldt State scored seven runs in the first two innings and racked up 13 hits in the victory. 
• Jenelle Trautmann was named to the Desert Stinger All-Tournament team.  

National news
• Augustana is ranked 23rd in the first regular season release of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. 
• Augustana opened the season ranked 14th in the Preseason NFCA Top 25 Poll.
• Augustana spent 13 weeks in the NFCA Top 25 in 2014, being ranked as high as fifth for three straight weeks. 
• The Vikings were ranked 15th in the final NFCA Top 25 Poll in 2014.   
• The complete list of the NFCA Preseason rankings can be found on page 4.

Against ranked opponents in 2015
• Augustana has played two games against ranked opponents this season.
• The Vikings defeated No. 3 Dixie State 2-1 on Feb. 13 in Las Vegas. 
• The Vikings came up short in a 9-2 loss to No. 19 Humboldt State on Feb. 14.

Augustana at the Huskydome Classic
• Augustana will play at the Huskydome Classic for the third time since 2011. 
• Augustana is 11-1 all-time at the Huskydome Classic. 
• The Vikings went 3-1 at the Huskydome Classic last season. 
• Augustana went 4-0 in 2011 and 2012 in its games under the dome at St. Cloud. 

Layoff after fast start
• After playing five games at the Huskydome Classic this weekend, Augustana will have 20 days off before its annual spring trip to Florida. 
• The Vikings will have played 10 games in 10 days after concluding the Huskydome Classic. 
• Augustana will play eight games in four days (March 15-18) during its spring trip to Clermont, Fla. 
• After returning from Florida, Augustana will travel right to St. Joseph, Mo. for six games from March 20-22.

NSIC Player of the Week
• Jenelle Trautmann was named the NSIC's Player of the Week on Tuesday for her efforts at the Desert Stinger last weekend. 
• Trautmann batted .571 with eight hits, including a double and three home runs while driving in 13 runs in five games.
• This marks the fourth NSIC weekly honor of her career, the first as player of the week.
• Trautmann has been named the NSIC's pitcher of the week three times in her career.

Scouting the competition
Central Missouri
• Central Missouri is 2-2 on the season and will open the Huskydome Classic on Thursday, Feb. 19 with a pair of games against Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. 
• The Jennies lost its first two games of the season, falling 7-3 to Henderson State and 5-4 in nine innings to Northwestern Oklahoma State. 
• The Jennies picked up wins over Illinois Springfield and William Jewell in Bentonville, Ark. to close-out the weekend.
• Central Missouri returns three starting pitchers from last year's team that finished 27-23. 
• UCM returns seven players who made at least 20 starts in 2014, including their top two home run and RBI producers from last season.
• Susan Anderson is in her ninth season as the head coach at UCM. Anderson owns a career record of 236-188.
• Augustana is 14-4 all-time against Central Missouri. 
• The Vikings defeated the Jennies 5-4 in St. Joseph, Mo. on March 21 last season. The Vikings have won three straight over the Jennies. 

Missouri Western
• Missouri Western State  is 5-4 on the season after participating in the UAM 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark. last weekend. 
• The Griffons went 2-2 before having its final two games canceled due to weather. 
• Missouri Western has scored 39 runs on the season and is batting .284 as a team with nine doubles, one triple and 10 home runs. 
• Tiffany Gillapsy leads the team batting .393 with two doubles, three home runs and a team-high eight RBI. 
• Shyanne Saladino is 3-1 in the circle for the Griffons with a 3.43 ERA. 
• Saladino has struck out 13 batters in 21 innings of work. 
• Jen Bagley Trotter is in her 14th season as the head coach at Missouri Western. Bagley Trotter owns a career record of 459-279.
• Augustana is 14-10 all-time against Missouri Western. 
• The two teams met three times last season, the last coming in the Central Region 2 Tournament where the Vikings defeated the Griffons 8-7 on May 9.

Emporia State
• Emporia State enters the Huskydome Classic at 3-1 on the season after opening the season at the UAM 8-State Classic last weekend. 
• The Hornets have scored 16 runs while allowing 15 on the season and are batting .321 as a team. 
• Emporia State is led offensively by Jessica Gragg who is hitting .583 with one double, one home run and three RBI.
• Kaitlyn Caston is 2-0 in the circle for the Hornets with a 3.00 ERA while striking out three batters in 14 innings of work.
• Julie LeMaire is in her fourth season as the head coach at Emporia State. LeMaire is 130-46 at Emporia State.
• Augustana is 5-10 all-time against Emporia State. The two teams split a pair of games last season, the Vikings won 3-2 at the Huskydome Classic before the Hornets defeated the Vikings 7-1 in St. Joseph, Mo. on March 22.

Fort Hays State
• Fort Hays State is 1-3 on the season after opening the season at the UAM 8-State Classic last weekend. 
• The Tigers' lone win was an 11-1 victory over Truman State. 
• Fort Hays State is batting .316 as a team and has scored 18 runs as a team. 
• Tori Beltz leads the team with a .500 batting avearge and has a double a home run and three RBI on the year. 
• Kelsey Kimminau owns a 1.75 ERA and a 1-1 record in the circle. Kimminau has struck out eight batters in 12 innings of work. 
• Adrian Mohr is in her first season as the head coach at Fort Hays State. 
• Augustana is 3-1 all-time against Fort Hays State. The Vikings and Tigers last met in 2007. 

Nebraska-Kearney
• Nebraska-Kearney is 0-4 on the season after opening the year at the UAM 8-State Classic last weekend. 
• The Lopers are batting .242 as a team and have scored 11 runs while allowing 49 in four games. 
• Makenzi Dallas is leading the team in batting with a .571 average with two home runs and three RBI. 
• The Lopers pitching staff has a combined 13.67 ERA and has struck out 11 batters in 21 total innings. 
• Holly Carnes is in her 14th season as the head coach at Nebraska-Kearney.
• Augustana is 5-3 all-time against the Lopers. The Vikings defeated UNK 5-2 at the Huskydome Classic last season.