SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana University softball team will have a much different start to its 2016 season than in years past. The Vikings will open the season on Saturday, Jan. 30, starting an 11-game road swing with six games in the Aloha State. Augustana has not started a season before February since taking a trip to Hawaii to start the 2000 season.

Augustana will open the season on Saturday, Jan 30 with a doubleheader at Chaminade at 4 p.m. (CT). Saturday's game will also be Chaminade's season opener. Chaminade finished 10-38 last season.

The Vikings will then travel to Kaneohe, Hawaii to take on Hawaii Pacific on Sunday at 4 p.m. (CT). Hawaii Pacific finished the 2015 season with a record of 26-21-1, including a 16-15-1 record in PacWest play. Augustana will conclude its six-game trip to the Aloha State with a doubleheader at BYU-Hawaii on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. (CT). BYU-Hawaii finished 12-32 last season.

Following the six games in Hawaii, Augustana will travel directly to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the Desert Stinger Feb. 5-6.

The Vikings are coming off the ninth 50-plus win season in program history last year that saw Augustana finish 53-11 and win the program's 12th overall conference championship. Augustana won its third regular season Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship last season and went on to make the program's 23rd overall NCAA Tournament appearance.

Now in her 10th season as the head coach at Augustana, Gretta Melsted led Augustana to its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last season. Melsted welcomes 16 players on the 2016 roster, including 11 returners and three seniors who have all become accustomed to postseason play throughout their careers.

Following Augustana's trip to Hawaii, the Vikings will make a stop in Las Vegas, Nev. to play five games in two days Feb. 5-6. The Vikings first scheduled home game is set for April 2 against MSU Moorhead, meaning the Vikings will have played 30 games before playing one on its own field.

After winning the NSIC regular season championship and hosting the NCAA Central Super Region Tournament last season, Augustana was picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll that was announced on Thursday, Jan. 21. The Vikings earned four first-place votes in the NSIC preseason poll, and were picked to finish second for the second straight season.

Last season, Augustana set single season NSIC records for slugging percentage (.611), on-base percentage (.451), runs scored (226), base hits (302), RBI (213), home runs (46) and total bases (495). The Vikings finished 28-2 in conference play in 2015, setting a single season NSIC record for wins.

Junior shortstop Sarah Kennedy was named the NSIC's Preseason Player of the Year in the coaches' poll. Kennedy earned player of the year honors from the NSIC following last season and was eventually named the Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year. As a sophomore last season, Kennedy was named a top 10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year while also being selected as First Team All-America by the NFCA and Daktronics.

Kennedy, a junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, batted .470 last season which led the NSIC and ranked sixth in the country at the end of the season. She set an Augustana single season record with 25 doubles in 2015 to go along with two triples and 17 home runs. Kennedy drove in 70 runs last seasonwhich is the fourth-most in a single season at Augustana and enters her junior campaign with a career batting average of .423, 31 doubles and 26 home runs.

The senior class includes left-handed pitcher Carley Pickett, center fielder Carly Peterson and second baseman Maddie Merriam. Pickett is a two-time All-NSIC South Division selection and a Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team selection in 2015. She made 38 appearances last season, including 23 starts while compiling a 2.16 ERA and a 17-5 record. Pickett led the NSIC in saves for the second straight season with four in 2015 giving her 17 for her career which ranks second all-time at Augustana.

Pickett enters the 2016 season two saves away from setting a new all-time record at Augustana. She led all of NCAA Division II with nine saves as a sophomore in 2014. Pickett owns a career record of 41-18 in 113 appearances and 55 starts. She has struck out 369 batters in 428.1 career innings.

Merriam enters the 2016 season having started 72 games in her career in the middle infield. She started 61 games at second base last season and compiled a .958 fielding percentage with 80 putouts and 79 assists. Merriam batted .240 in 2015 with 41 hits, including 11 doubles which ranked third on the team.

Peterson started all 63 games in center field last season for the Vikings. She batted .312 with 59 hits, including eight doubles and five home runs in 2015. Peterson had two or more hits in 16 games last season and drove in two or more runs in nine games. She finished the 2015 season with 38 RBI and led the team with 15 stolen bases.

Junior right-handed pitcher Karlee Koopman will see an increased role with the 2016 Vikings following the graduation of All-American pitcher Jenelle Trautmann. Koopman made 28 appearances last season, making five starts, and compiled a 4-2 record and a 1.90 ERA. She struck out 35 batters in 51.2 innings of work while tossing two complete games and combining for 10 shutouts. Koopman also started 26 games at first base last season and ended the season with a .260 batting average, two doubles and two home runs.

Abby Chandler appeared in 39 games for Augustana last season, making 11 starts in the outfield. She has played in 70 career games for the Vikings and enters her junior campaign with two career doubles and seven RBI.

The sophomore class features five players who all saw playing time as true freshmen in 2015. Katie Parker, Morgan Beaner, Kylie Rome, Kaylea Schorr and Maggie Kadrlik all played a role in Augustana's 2015 season. Rome played in 51 games last season, making 37 starts at both offensive player, first base and in the outfield. She finished the season batting .302 with 32 hits, including three doubles and two home runs. She drove in 18 runs and stole three bases on the season.

Kadrlik played in 33 games last season, making 13 starts. She started five games at catcher and eight as the offensive player and batted .263 with 10 hits while driving in 10 runs. She recorded 42 putouts and one assist to go along with a .977 fielding percentage.

Schorr played in 43 games and hit .308 with four hits in 13 at-bats. She was called on to pinch run 32 times last season and saw time at first base. Beaner appeared in 33 games, making 12 starts in 2015, including 10 at first base and two at catcher. She recorded two doubles and finished the season with 12 hits. Parker appeared in eight games before suffering an injury that hindered her throughout the season.

Shannon Petersen (Edina, Minn.), Sydney Monsour (Richfield, Minn.), Emily Wilson (Colfax, Iowa), Maggie Dunnett (Lakeville, Minn.) and Samantha Eisenreich (St. Cloud, Minn.) make up the 2016 freshmen class.

The 2016 campaign marks the 44th season of softball at Augustana University. Augustana has had 36 winning seasons in the 44-year history of the program. Augustana softball owns an all-time record of 1,462-602-3.