SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana University softball earned the No. 4 seed in the NSIC Softball Tournament and will play No. 5 seed Wayne State at 12 p.m. Thursday at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls. The Vikings finished the regular season with a record of 37-14, and will make their eighth straight NSIC Tournament appearance.
 
Augustana has qualified for the NSIC Tournament every season since joining the NSIC in 2009. Wayne State finished the regular season with an overall record of 27-24, including 21-9 in conference play. 

Augustana in the NSIC Tournament
• Augustana has qualified for the NSIC Tournament every season since joining the NSIC in 2009
• Augustana is making its eighth straight NSIC Tournament appearance
• Augustana is 20-13 all-time in the NSIC Tournament
• Augustana has advanced to the NSIC Tournament Championship game in two straight seasons
• The Vikings have lost 4-1 to Winona State in the championship game last season 
• In 2014, Augustana won three straight games to advance to the championship game before dropping two to Winona State to finish second
• Augustana has one NSIC Tournament Championship. The Vikings won the conference tournament in 2011

Last time out
• Augustana went 3-3 last week, losing two on the road at Winona State before taking three of four games at home last weekend
• Winona State swept Augustana winning game one 11-1 in five innings before taking game two 3-0
• The Vikings returned to Bowden Field for its final two doubleheaders of the regular season on Saturday and Sunday
• Augustana swept Concordia-St. Paul 3-0 in game one before taking game two 8-5
• Augustana had a chance to win the NSIC Regular Season Championship taking on Minnesota State on Sunday
• The Vikings needed two wins over the Mavericks to tie them in the NSIC standings which would have given Augustana its second straight NSIC Championship
• Augustana took a 1-0 lead on a Sarah Kennedy home run in the bottom of the first inning in game one against the Mavericks but fell 3-1 
• The Vikings rebounded in game two, winning 14-3 in five innings after scoring 13 runs in the third and fourth innings to win by the eight-run rule

Augustana in the NCAA Central Region rankings
• Augustana was ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings that were released on April 27
• Augustana was ranked eighth in the first release of the regional rankings and seventh last week
• Arkansas Tech earned the No. 1 spot and Southern Arkansas was ranked second
• The Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Athletic Association and the Great American Conference
• The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Tournament, with the top two seeds in each region hosting a Super Regional
• For the complete region rankings, see p. 3 of this release

Augustana's all-time saves leader
• Senior left-handed pitcher Carley Pickett set the all-time saves record in a win over MSU Moorhead on April 2
• Pickett has recorded three saves in 2016 to give her 20 for her career
• Pickett passed Chelsey Durland who recorded 18 saves from 2009-12
• Pickett has led the NSIC in saves in two straight seasons
• As a sophomore in 2014, Pickett led the country with nine saves

Where they rank all-time
• Several Vikings rank high in Augustana's all-time career records
• Sarah Kennedy currently ranks fourth all-time with a .416 career batting average, third with a .677 slugging percentage, sixth with a .462 on-base percentage, seventh in runs scored (157), eighth in doubles (44), fifth in home runs (34) and seventh in RBI (154).
• Carley Pickett ranks fifth all-time averaging 5.75 strikeouts per seven innings, 10th in wins (61), first in saves (20), second in appearances (149), ninth in starts (81), first in games finished (66), third in combined shutouts (15), ninth in innings pitched (610.2) and fourth in batters struck out (502).
• Pickett is one of just four pitchers in program history with 500-plus strikeouts

Offensively speaking
• Augustana finished the regular season leading the NSIC in batting with a .338 average as a team
• The Vikings also lead the league with 77 doubles and ranked second with 52 home runs
• Augustana scored a league-high 312 runs in 2016
• Seven of Augustana's nine regular starters are hitting over .330 on the season

Run producers
• Augustana leads all teams and the NSIC and ranks 34th in the country averaging 6.1 runs per game
• Augustana has scored 312 runs no the season 
• Augustana has five players with over 25 runs batted in on the season, including three players with 40-plus RBI
• Maggie Kadrlik ranks second in the NSIC and 17th in the country with 55 RBI on the year
• Sarah Kennedy has drive in 53 runs this season which ranks third amongst NSIC players and 21st in the country
• Kennedy has driven in 50-plus runs in two straight seasons. She has driven in 154 runs in her career 
• Freshman third baseman Shannon Petersen ranks fifth in the NSIC and 88th in the country with 43 RBI in 2016

Home sweet home
• Augustana opened the 2016 season playing 29 straight games away from Sioux Falls
• Augustana opened the home portion of its schedule against MSU Moorhead on April 2
• Augustana finished the season with a 13-1 record at Bowden Field in 2016
• Augustana scored 97 runs in 14 home games and hit .367 as a team with 15 doubles and 18 home runs
• Augustana's opponents hit just .204 with just 13 extra-base hits
• Augustana's pitching staff compiled a 1.19 ERA and struck out 77 batters in 14 home games

Pickett producing at the plate
• Senior left-handed pitcher Carley Pickett is having a breakout season as a batter for the Vikings
• Pickett is batting .387 for the Vikings and ranks second on the team with 67 hits
• Pickett had a career-long 13-game hitting streak during the middle of the 2016 season
• Pickett has 12 doubles on the season and has driven in 19 runs and scored 41

Heating up down the stretch
• Junior shortstop Sarah Kennedy started to heat up in the middle of March and continued to do so through the conference season
• Kennedy batted .443 with eight doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI in 29 NSIC games in 2016
• She has compiled a .398 batting average on the season with 13 doubles and 18 home runs
• Kennedy ranks second on the team with 53 RBI in 2016
• She has also scored 45 runs and owns a .620 slugging percentage and a .469 on-base percentage

Sophomore stepping up
• Sophomore Maggie Kadrlik currently leads the team batting .403 on the season, which ranks fifth in the NSIC
• Kadrlik has drive in a team-high 55 RBI which ranks second in the NSIC and 17th in the nation
• She also ranks second in the NSIC and 21st in the country with 14 home runs
• Kadrlik has 10 doubles on the season and is tied for the team-lead with 14 extra-base hits
• Kadrlik leads the team with a .730 slugging percentage while leading the team with a .489 on-base percentage
• She has walked 14 times and been hit by a pitch 14 times

Leading things off
• Senior center fielder Carly Peterson continues to rip the ball all over the park out of the leadoff spot for the Vikings
• Peterson is batting .394 on the season with a .594 slugging percentage and a .470 on-base percentage
• Peterson currently leads the NSIC and has the sixth-most doubles amongst all players in Division II with 18
• The 18 doubles by Peterson marks the ninth-most in a single season at Augustana
• Only four players in program history  have hit 20 or more doubles in a season
• Peterson also has hit one triple and five home runs in 2016
• She has driven in 28 runs and scored a team-high 56 for the Vikings
• Peterson ranks second in the NSIC and 21st in the country in runs scored

Schorr's 10-game hitting streak snapped
• Sophomore first baseman Kaylea Schorr recently had a career-long 10-game hitting streak snapped
• Schorr is batting .345 on the season with two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI
• She owns a .405 on-base percentage with seven walks. She has also been hit by a pitch four times this season

In the circle
• Carley Pickett and Karlee Koopman have shared the starting pitching duties throughout the 2016 season
• Pickett has appeared in 36 games, making 26 starts
• Koopman has started 25 games and made 29 appearances
• Pickett has compiled a 2.65 ERA in 182.1 innings of work in 2016
• She owns a 20-9 record and has struck out a team-high 133 batters
• Pickett has won a career-high 20 games on the season
• Pickett has won 17 or more games in three straight seasons for the Vikings
• Pickett has tossed 17 complete games and six shutouts on the season
• Pickett has also recorded three saves in 2016
• Koopman owns an 13-8 record and a 2.13 ERA in 29 appearances
• Koopman is holding opponents to a .260 batting average and has struck out 85 batters in 141.0 innings pitched

Veterans in the middle infield
• Senior second baseman Maddie Merriam has started 120 games at second base for the Vikings
• Junior shortstop Sarah Kennedy has made 176 games at shortstop during her career
• Merriam is batting .231 on the season for the Vikings with 33 hits and 19 RBI
• Merriam has 91 putouts and 106 assists on the season and owns a .934 fielding percentage
• Last season, Merriam compiled a .958 fielding percentage with just seven errors in 61 games played