SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana University softball (15-7, 0-0 NSIC) has won 10 of its last 13 games and is set to open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Tuesday, March 28, hosting Wayne State (6-19, 0-0 NSIC). First pitch for Tuesday's twinbill is set for 3 p.m. at Bowden Field.
 
NSIC PLAYER(s) OF THE WEEK
• Augustana swept the NSIC Player of the Week awards this week with Sarah Kennedy being named player of the week and Lexy Pederson pitcher of the week
• Kennedy and Pederson are the second and third Vikings to be named player of the week by the NSIC this season
• Kennedy batted .525 last week, recording a hit in 10 of 11 games played
• She finished the week with 21 hits, including six doubles, four home runs and 15 RBI
• Pederson posted a 5-0 record and a 0.42 ERA in 33 innings pitched
• Pederson tossed four shutouts and struck out 20 batters while holding opponents to a .159 batting average
• Junior catcher Maggie Kadrlik was named the NSIC's Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Feb. 7
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Augustana went 10-1 last week, winning 10 straight games before falling in its final game of the Missouri Western State Tournament to Pittsburg State
• Augustana's offense came alive during the week as the Vikings hit .338 as a team with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 58 runs scored
• The pitching staff also came on strong, combining for a 1.45 ERA, three shutouts and 53 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched
 
ABOUT WAYNE STATE
• Wayne State enters the week with an overall record of 6-18 on the season
• Tuesday's doubleheader will also be the NSIC opener for the Wildcats
• The Wildcats enter the week batting .248 as a team with 27 doubles, four triples and four home runs
• WSC is led by Rachel Shumaker who is batting .323 with two doubles and five RBI
• Katelyn Wobken is batting .313 with a team-high six doubles, three triples and two home runs
• Nataliah Hopkins owns a 3.44 ERA and a 6-10 record in the circle for WSC
• Hopkins has tossed seven complete games and has struck out 39 batters in 101.2 innings pitched
 
THE SERIES
• Augustana and Wayne State will meet for the 55th and 56th time in a series that began in 1985
• Augustana is 38-16 all-time against Wayne State, including 17-4 in home games
• Augustana and Wayne State split the regular season series in Wayne, Nebraska last season
• The Vikings won 2 of 3 games between the two teams last season, defeating the Wildcats 10-2 in the first round of the NSIC Tournament on April 28
 
KENNEDY OFF TO A FAMILIAR START
• Senior shortstop Sarah Kennedy has had a strong start to her senior season
• Kennedy opened the 2017 season on a nine-game hitting streak, which extended her hit streak from the end of last season, to 16 games
• Kennedy has hit safely in 19 of 21 games played this season for the Vikings
• Her longest career hitting streak is 24 games which she set as a sophomore in 2015
• Kennedy also put together a 23-game hitting streak during her sophomore season
• Kennedy is batting .486 and leads the team with 11 doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI
 
KENNEDY ON THE CAREER ACTIVE LEADERS LIST
• Sarah Kennedy ranks high in nearly every offensive statistical category on the career active leaders list in all of NCAA softball
• Kennedy has the second-most hits of all active NCAA Division II players and the fourth-most amongst all NCAA players across all three divisions
• Kennedy has 283 career hits, which ranks fifth all-time at Augustana
• Kennedy has hit 56 doubles in her career, which is the fourth-most amongst active Division II players and the fifth-most amongst players across all three divisions
• Kennedy ranks fourth all-time at Augustana in doubles
• Her 41 career home runs ranks 10th amongst active Division II players and her career .425 batting average ranks 16th amongst active Division II players
• Kennedy moved up to third all-time at Augustana in career home runs