SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Tim Huber begins his ninth season at the helm as the Augustana baseball team opens its 2017 campaign by traveling to Hawaii Pacific of the Pac West Conference for a 5-game series.
 
The Vikings will begin their 55-game regular season schedule in Hawaii for the first time since 2013. Game times for opening weekend are 8 and 10 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, 8 and 10 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 3 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.
 
Augustana was selected to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference by the coaches. Patrick O'Donnell was selected as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year, the first Viking to earn the honor.
 
Weekend Storylines and Notes
• Senior Outfielder Patrick O'Donnell was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the year. O'Donnell becomes the first Viking ever to earn this honor in either the NSIC or NCC
• Augustana was picked to finished 3rd in the NSIC behind Minnesota State and St. Cloud State
• This will be the Vikings first trip to Hawaii since the 2013 season. That year the Vikings also played Hawaii Pacific and went 1-5 against the Sharks
• Augustana is coming off the seventh straight 30+ win season after going 37-17 a year ago
• The Vikings finished second in the NSIC last season with a record of 26-8. Augustana has not lost double-digit NSIC games since 2012
 
Augustana Notes and Trends
• All-Time against Hawaii Pacific Augustana is 1-8. The two teams played in Honolulu, HI April 5-6, 1993 and the Vikings went 0-4
• The Vikings lone win in the series was on Feb. 3, 2013, and Augustana won 24-19
• After defeating HPU, the Vikings lost game two of the day 22-1
• Last season Augustana opened the 2016 season in St. Charles, Mo. and went 2-1 against Lindenwood University
• Last season former pitcher Michael Letkewicz was drafted in the 2016 MLB First- Year Player draft in the 23rd round by the Cleveland Indians
• Patrick O'Donnell led the nation in hitting a season ago with a .468 average
• Augustana returns 8 game winner Ryan Hamilton from last season. Hamilton's 8 wins was tied for the most single-season wins in program history
• During the last four seasons, the Vikings have finished no lower than 3rd in the conference. Finished 3rd in 2013 and 2015, and finished 2nd in 2014 and 2016
• The Vikings last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2014 when they went 41-16 and won the NSIC Conference Tournament
 
Hawaii Pacific Notes and Trends
• Hawaii Pacific plays in the Pac West Conference. The Pac West is a 14 team conference along the West Coast
• Last season the Sharks were 19-17 in conference play and finished in fifth-place
• HPU opened the season against St. Leo University from Tampa, Florida. The Sharks won all five games against St. Leo
• The last time Hawaii Pacific lost an opening weekend series was in 2011 when the Sharks went 1-3 against Patten University
• HPU had two pitchers get drafted in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player draft. One was drafted in the 13th round by the Baltimore Orioles and another in the 30th round by the Colorado Rockies
• As a team last season, the Sharks hit .288 and drove in 217 runs
• The Sharks lost two of their three leading wins getters from last season
• Their top returning pitcher from last season is Kyle Detwiler who went 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA. He will be a senior this season