SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana University softball (19-9, 4-2 NSIC) returns home to open a six-game homestand starting on Tuesday, April 4, against Upper Iowa (8-20, 0-6 NSIC). First pitch for Tuesday's twinbill is set for 3 p.m. at Bowden Field. 

LAST TIME OUT
• Augustana opened NSIC play last week going 4-2 in its first six games
• The Vikings swept Wayne State on Tuesday, winning the opener 3-0 before taking game two 10-1 in six innings
• Augustana was on the road for four games over the weekend, starting at No. 21 Minnesota State on Saturday
• MSU won both games, picking up a 4-0 win in game one and a 5-3 win in game two
• The Vikings rebounded on Sunday with a sweep over Concordia-St. Paul
• Augustana won the opener 7-1 before fighting from behind to win 11-7 in the nightcap to finish the week 4-2
• Augustana hit .328 as a team on the week with nine doubles, one triple and eight home runs
• The Vikings out-scored their opponents 34-18 on the week

ABOUT UPPER IOWA
• Upper Iowa enters Tuesday's doubleheader with a record of 8-20 on the season, including 0-6 in conference play
• Upper Iowa has lost seven straight games, including four straight at home this past weekend
• Upper Iowa is batting .269 as a team with 31 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs
• The Peacocks have been out-scored 159-106 on the season
• UIU is led offensively by Sammy Garrett who is batting .416 with five doubles, four home runs and 20 RBI
• The UIU pitching staff has compiled a 5.15 ERA in 28 games this season
• Emily Kisch is 5-10 in the circle for UIU wit ha 4.23 ERA in 17 appearances
• Kisch has struck out 32 batters in 87.2 innings pitched this season
• Amanda Bradberry is in her sixth season as the head coach at Upper Iowa

THE SERIES
• Augustana is 14-3 all-time against Upper Iowa entering Tuesday's doubleheader
• Augustana split a doubleheader at Upper Iowa last season, falling 5-1 in game one before picking up a 3-2 win in game two
• Augustana won nine straight meetings over Upper Iowa in the first nine games ever played between the two schools
• The Vikings have won five of the last eight meetings since
• Augustana is 7-1 all-time at Bowden Field against Upper Iowa

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 24 of 27 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 .484 and leads the team with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 29 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 291 career hits, which ranks fifth all-time at Augustana
• Kennedy has hit 59 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 third all-time at Augustana in doubles
• Her 43 career home runs ranks 10th amongst active Division II players and her career .426 batting average ranks 16th amongst active Division II players
• Kennedy now ranks second all-time in career home runs at Augustana and is tied with Theresa McMahon who hit 43 home runs from 2010-13

PETERSEN PUTTING UP NUMBERS IN SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN
• Sophomore Shannon Petersen had a strong first season for the Vikings in 2016
• Petersen earned All-NSIC First Team honors last season before being named to the D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team
• Petersen played in 52 games, making 50 starts both at third base and catcher
• She batted .345 with 71 hits, including 14 home runs and eight doubles
• Petersen ranked third on the team with 45 RBI and compiled a .643 slugging percentage
• Petersen has pushed the pace during her sophomore season with the Vikings in 2017
• She is batting .362 with seven doubles and five home runs
• Petersen has driven in 19 runs in 2017 and scored 19 batting out of the No. 4 spot in the lineup
• Petersen is one double shy of her total from 2016 

IN THE CIRCLE
• Augustana has used three different pitchers on rotation in the 2017 season
• Lexy Pederson has made 14 appearances and 12 starts on the season for the Vikings
• Pederson owns a 1.36 ERA and a 10-4 record
• Pederson has struck out 50 batters in 77.1 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .222 batting average
• Freshman Olivia Wolters has made 18 appearances and 14 starts in 2017 
• Wolters is 7-4 on the year with a team-high two saves
• She has struck out 60 batters in 76.0 innings pitched
• Maggie Dunnett has made nine appearances this season and owns a record of 2-1 on the year

DUNNETT STEPPING UP AT THE PLATE
• Maggie Dunnett is making her presence known at the plate for the Vikings in 2017
• Dunnett had just seven at-bats as a freshman in 2016. She had 47 at-bats this season and is batting .255 on the year
• Dunnett has hit one double, one triple and three home runs this season and ranks fourth on the team with 12 RBI