Storylines
• No. 24 Augustana softball (14-4) will have a quick turnaround upon returning from its annual spring trip to Florida. 
• The Vikings will play six games in three days in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Missouri Western Invite. 
• Augustana will open play in St. Joseph, taking on Pittsburg State (13-5) at 10 a.m. on Friday. 
• The Vikings will then take on Central Missouri (15-6) at 4 p.m.
• Augustana will square-off with 16th-ranked Central Oklahoma at 10 a.m. on Saturday and tournament-host Missouri Western (15-9) at 2 p.m.
• On Sunday, Augustana will play Washburn (13-8) at 9 a.m. and Missouri Southern State (3-15) at 3 p.m.
• The Vikings are coming off an eight-game trip to Clermont, Fla. over the last four days. 
• Augustana went 7-1 during its spring trip to improve to 14-4 on the season.
• Augustana hit .338 and scored 49 runs and had 11 doubles and 12 home runs in eight games in Florida. 
• The Vikings are batting .327 as a team this season and has out-scored opponents 119-66 in 18 games. 

National news
• Augustana is ranked 24th in the NFCA Top 25 Poll.
• The Vikings spent the last three weeks at No. 25 in the coaches 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 four games against ranked opponents this season and is 3-1 in those games.
• 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 defeated 17th-ranked Emporia State 12-8 on Feb. 21 at the Huskydome Classic.
• During its spring trip, Augustana defeated 14th-ranked Caldwell 4-2. 
• The Vikings will play (RV) Pittsburg State and No. 16.

Lotta games, little time
• Augustana opened the season playing 10 games in 10 days participating at the Desert Stinger (Feb. 13-14) and the Huskydome Classic (Feb. 20-22). 
• Augustana just played eight games in four days in Clermont, Fla. and is traveling on Thursday to St. Joseph, Mo. 
• The Vikings will play six games in three days in Missouri to bring its total to 14 games in an eight-day stretch. 

NSIC Player of the Week
• Jenelle Trautmann was named the NSIC's Player of the Week on Feb. 17 for her efforts at the Desert Stinger. 
• Trautmann batted .571 with eight hits, including a double and three home runs while driving in 13 runs in five games.
• The honor marked 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
Pittsburg State
• Pittsburg State received votes in the latest NFCA Top 25 Poll and enters the weekend with a record of 13-5 on the season. 
• The Gorillas were last in action on Tuesday, March 17, splitting a doubleheader with Rogers State. 
• Pittsburg State is batting .342 as a team and has out-scored opponents 136-77 in 18 games. 
• The Gorillas have hit 33 doubles, four triples and 29 home runs on the year. 
• McKenzie Rynard leads the team batting .434 with a team-high seven doubles. 
• Kylie Guthier is batting .381 with five doubles and a team-high seven home runs and 26 RBI. 
• Emmie Robertson has compiled a 1.79 ERA in 10 appearances in the circle. 
• Robertson leads the team with an 8-2 record and 63 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of work. 

Central Missouri
• Central Missouri enters the weekend with a record of 15-6 after having an 11-game win streak snapped in a 9-1 loss to Rollins on March 16. 
• The Jennies are batting .296 as a team and have out-scored opponents 99-76 on the season. 
• Central Missouri has hit 36 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs.
• The Jennies like to run having stole 37 bases in 41 attempts on the season. 
• Ali Jo Rogers is batting .403 with five doubles and leads the team in stolen bases (17 of 19). 
• Lauren Mabe leads the Jennies in batting with a .464 average anda  team-high eight doubles. 
• Jakki Prater has made 10 appearances in the circle posting a 1.99 ERA. 
• Prater has struck out 54 batters in 67 innings this season. 

Missouri Western State
• Missouri Western State enters its own tournament with a record of 15-9 on the season. 
• The Griffons have won six straight games entering the weekend. 
• Augustana and Missouri Western met once this season, with the Griffons winning 6-4 at the Huskydome Classic in St. Cloud, Minn. on Feb. 20. 
• Missouri Western is batting .300 as a team with 116 runs scored, 26 doubles, five triples and 26 home runs.
• Tiffany Gillaspy leads the Griffons at the plate batting .382 on the season with a team-high seven home runs. 
• Janie Smith has made 14 appearances in the circle and owns a 7-5 record and a 4.25 ERA. 
• Smith has struck out 62 batters in 82.2 innings pitched in 2015. 

Washburn
• Washburn enters the weekend with a record of 13-8 on the season, having won two straight games. 
• Washburn is batting .341 as a team and has scored 143 runs. The Ichabods have hit 42 doubles and 33 home runs on the year. 
• Washburn has five players with four or more home runs on the season. 
• Kristen Bell leads the team batting .426 on the season with five doubles, one triple and one homer. 
• Jordan Erickson is batting .400 with four doubles, six home runs and a team-high 20 RBI. 
• Lauren Thimmesch has made 13 appearances in the circle, compiling a 1.59 ERA and a 9-1 record. 

Missouri Southern State
• Missouri Southern State is 3-15 on the season, having won two of its last three games. 
• The Lions are batting .261 as a team and have scored 61 runs while allowing 112. 
• Abi Corbett leads the team with a .340 batting average and has driven in five runs. 
• Ashley Lutz has made 12 appearances in the circle, compiling a 2-7 record and a 3.77 ERA.

The chase is on -- Augustana's home run Queen tracking down NCAA record
• Senior Jenelle Trautmann hit two home runs during the spring trip to Florida, bringing her season total to nine.
• Trautmann, Augustana's all-time leader in home runs, has now hit 64 putting her in a tie for third all-time in NCAA Division II history. 
• Trautmann is now just 11 home runs shy of moving into a tie for second all-time. 
• Kutztown's Steph Denlinger (2006-09) is the NCAA Division II leader in career home runs with 79.
• Trautmann currently ranks 27th all-time in NCAA history (all divisions) in career home runs. 

The streak is alive
• Sophomore shortstop Sarah Kennedy entered the 2015 season on a five-game hitting streak, dating back to May 9 of last season. 
• Kennedy has a hit in all 18 games this season, extending her hit streak to 23 games.  
• Kennedy is batting .500 on the season with 18 hits, including four doubles and a triple. 
• Kennedy ranks fifth in the NSIC and 56th in the country with her .500 batting average. 
• She has compiled a .561 on-base percentage and has scored nine runs while driving in seven.  

The pitching staff
• Jenelle Trautmann leads the Vikings pitching staff with a record of 7-1 on the season. 
• Trautmann has compiled a 3.17 ERA in 10 starts and 13 appearances. 
• Trautmann has struck out a team-high 73 batters in 64 innings of work. 
• Trautmann posted a 4-1 record in last week's trip to Florida, striking out 38 batters in 26 innings.
• Karlee Koopman improved to 4-0 on the season going 1-0 during the spring trip. 
• Koopman leads the pitching staff with a 1.70 ERA and has tossed one complete game in three starts. 
• Koopman is holding opponents to a .255 batting average and has struck out 14 batters in 24.2 innings.  
• Carley Pickett went 2-0 in two starts and five appearances in Florida, improving her record to 3-3 on the season.
• Pickett compiled a 0.47 ERA in five appearances in Florida, striking out 19 batters in 15 innings. 
• Pickett picked up her second save of the season, giving her 15 for her career and moving her within four of breaking the school record. 
• Pickett led all of NCAA Division II in saves in 2014 with nine. 

Setting the table
• Senior third baseman and leadoff hitter Caitlin Nichol has a hit in 13 of 18 games this season and ranks third on the team with a .429 batting average. 
• Nichol has recorded two or more hits in a game eight times this season and has hit four home runs. 
• Nichol has a .528 on-base percentage and is getting on base for the run producers. 
• Nichol has scored a team-high 23 runs on the season while driving in 13 of her own. 
• Nichol has also been hit by a pitch a team-high six times and has eight walks on the season. 
• Nichol batted .400 with three home runs and six RBI in eight games in Florida. 

Off to a fast start
• Jenelle Trautmann is batting .469 on the season with 23 hits, including three doubles and a team-high nine home runs. 
• Trautmann has driven in a team-high 29 runs and has compiled a 1.082 slugging percentage. 
• Trautmann batted .455 with two doubles and four home runs while driving in 10 runs in eight games in Florida. 
• She has been walked a team-high 12 times and has compiled a .578 on-base percentage. 

Power surge
• Senior catcher Jordan Schaffer is batting .320 on the season, with five doubles and three home runs. 
• She ranks second on the team with 18 RBI and has compiled a .600 slugging percentage. 
• Schaffer batted .350 with two doubles, one home run and eight RBI during the spring trip. 
• She has driven in two or more runs in five games this season.
• Schaffer also shares the team-lead with two sacrifice flies on the season.