SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Coming off their eighth appearance in nine years at the NCAA tournament, the Augustana women's softball team is set to continue their successful reign this spring. The Vikings will officially start their 2019 campaign on Friday at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational, playing eight games over four days in Texas.

Augustana's first opponent is Texas A&M International, as the Vikings and Dustdevils will start the season Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. Over the next four days, Augustana will take on West Texas A&M (Fri, 3:30 p.m.); St. Mary's (Sat., 3:30 p.m.); Southeastern Oklahoma State (Sat., 6 p.m.); Texas A&M Kingsville (Sun., 2 p.m.); Cameron (Sun., 4:30 p.m.); Texas A&M Commerce (Mon., 9 a.m.); and Arkansas Tech (Mon. 11:30 a.m.).

The Vikings are ranked No. 25 in the 2019 NFCA DII preseason coaches poll announced on Wednesday. They also registered four first-place votes and were picked second in the 2019 NSIC preseason coaches poll. Augustana looks to build on a 42-win season and an appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Central Region championship last year.

Led by 13th-year head coach Gretta Melsted, Augustana will return a number of key players to the diamond, starting with Maggie Kadrlik and Ashley Mickschl. A senior from Inver Grove Heights, Kadrlik will come back this season after a season-ending injury in 2018. In just nine games last year, she had a .363 average on 160 at-bats and drove in 34 RBI.

Two seasons ago, as a sophomore, Kadrlik earned All-NSIC First Team honors and was named to D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention team. She has a career hitting average of .399 in 96 games over three seasons, and her career on-base percentage of .489 ranks second in program history.

Moving to the pitching circle, the Vikings return three-of-four pitchers from last season, including the reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year, Mickschl. The Minnesota native had an outstanding 2018 season, leading the Vikings with a 20-8 record including 31 starts and 17 complete games. She pitched a total of 179.2 innings and finished the season with 137 strikeouts and 53 walks.

Offensively, Mickschl was a First-Team All-NSIC selection and posted a team-high .429 batting average, with 79 hits in 184 at-bats, including 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 44 RBI. For her outstanding season, Mickschl was named the 39th NFCA All-American in Augustana history.

Sophomore pitcher Amber Elliott, Senior Shannon Petersen (C/INF), and senior Maggie Dunnett (P/INF) will also all make significant contributions throughout the 2019 season.

Fans can follow Augustana softball all season long on twitter @AugieSoftball and on Facebook: Augustana Viking Softball