SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- With 60 games in the books, the Augustana softball team is ready to hit the road for the next step in their season. On Thursday at 3:30 p.m., the No. 3 seed Vikings open up play in the NCAA central region tournament taking on No. 6 seed Missouri Western. The four-team regional is played Maynard R. Johnson Field on the campus of the host school, Winona State.
 
The Warriors are the No. 2 seed in the central region, and take on No.7 seed St. Cloud State at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Central Oklahoma earned the No. 1 seed in the region and also host a four-team regional in Edmond, Okla. The winners of the double-elimination regional tournaments meet in the NCAA super regional.
 
The eight-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the NSIC, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC).
 
Fans interested in attending or following along at the NCAA tournament can click here for the official tournament home page. Live stats and video links are available here, with a full look at the NCAA DII Softball bracket available here.
 
Augustana, who leads the nation with 51 wins, is fresh off the program's second-ever NSIC tournament title. The Vikings went 4-1 in the conference tournament and defeated Winona State 8-1 in the title game for the league crown. Four members of the Vikings earned all-tournament honors: Mary Pardo, Ashley Mickschl, Kara McDougall, and Samantha Eisenreich.
 
The Vikings open the postseason as one of the most balanced teams in the nation. Starting in the circle, the Vikings 1.58 team ERA is ninth in the nation. All three Viking pitches - Ashley Mickschl, Amber Elliott, and Olivia Wolters have different strengths that make them successful. One common thread - strikeouts. Elliott is 39th in the nation in strikeouts-per-seven innings (7.6), and Wolter is top-60 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.90). Mickschl leads the team and is 38th in the country with 161 strikeouts this season.
 
Augustana's offense is also stacked and it starts with the leadoff hitter Mary Pardo.  Her 15 home runs are first in the conference and 10th in the nation for DII. Pardo's not just swinging for the fence - the true freshman has collected 137 total bases, which ranks 4th in the nation. Maggie Kadrlik is top-10 in the county is slugging percentage (.850) and 11th in RBI with 60. Thanks to an ability to get on base and terrific speed, Kendall Cornick's 1.13 runs per game are among the best in the nation.
 
This is the third straight season and 26th overall appearance in NCAA softball tournament for Augustana. The Vikings claim one college world series title in 1991. Coach Gretta Melsted's program record for wins in a season is 53.
 
Scouting Missouri Western:
 
With a home in the Mid-American Intercollegiate conference (MIAA), Missouri Western comes into the NCAA tournament with a 37-16 overall record. The Griffons recently finished as the runner-up at the MIAA tournament, where Central Oklahoma claimed the conference title. MWSU is led by Emma Hoffart from the plate, who is hitting .344 with eight home runs and 41 RBI. Kalli Hinds has a team-high 16 wins and 3.07 ERA for the Griffons.
 
Earlier this season, Augustana and Missouri Western squared up in the 2019 Hy-Vee classic. Amber Elliott pitched four strong innings and had three RBI, and Maggie Dunnett also hit a three-run home run in a 10-2 (5 inn.) Viking win. The Griffons also defeated Winona State (1-0) and Northern State (6-4) at the early season tournament.