SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana baseball team has earned a preseason national ranking of No. 12 from Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Top-40 unveiled Tuesday. Augustana is the only NSIC team ranked in the top-25 while Minnesota State checks in at No. 40 in the Top-40 poll.
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The Vikings are coming off a 9-4 COVID-19 shortened season in 2020 and return a majority of their roster including
Tanner Brown and
Jordan Barth, both of which claimed NSIC Player of the Week honors in 2020.
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Head coach
Tim Huber enters the 2021 season in his 12
th year leading the Vikings and has amassed a career record of 417-209.
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The Vikings entered the 2020 season as the NSIC Preseason favorites and swept the Preseason Player of the Year awards with Barth taking player and
Max Steffens garnering Preseason Pitcher of the Year accolades.
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Barth batted .471 over the 13-game season, tallying 11 RBI on 24 hits and scoring another 12 runs. He also tallied a .989 fielding percentage. Steffens returns for his senior season after not throwing a pitch in 2020 prior to the season being cut short.
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Brown led the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and totaled 19 strikeouts over 16 innings pitched.
Collegiate Baseball's 2021 Pre-Season NCAA Div. 2 Poll (Dec. 22, 2020)
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| Rank |
Team (Final 2020 Record) |
Points |
| 1. |
Tampa (15-7) |
625 |
| 2. |
Colorado Mesa (14-4) |
623 |
| 3. |
Angelo St. (19-3) |
620 |
| 4. |
North Greenville (19-5-1) |
618 |
| 5. |
Central Missouri (20-3) |
616 |
| 6. |
Barry (17-4) |
614 |
| 7. |
Lindenwood (15-1) |
612 |
| 8. |
Georgia College (13-2) |
610 |
| 9. |
Columbus St. (18-3) |
607 |
| 10. |
Catawba (19-3) |
603 |
| 11. |
Texas-Tyler (20-3) |
598 |
| 12. |
Augustana, SD (9-4) |
594 |
| 13. |
Ashland (10-4) |
593 |
| 14. |
UNC Pembroke (18-5) |
587 |
| 15. |
Millersville (14-4) |
585 |
| 16. |
Mount Olive (19-4) |
583 |
| 17. |
Azusa Pacific (10-10) |
580 |
| 18. |
Southern New Hampshire (12-4) |
578 |
| 19. |
Valdosta St. (13-6) |
573 |
| 20. |
Cal. Poly Pomona (13-8) |
570 |
| 21. |
Bloomsburg (9-1) |
569 |
| 22. |
Biola (12-2) |
564 |
| 23. |
Alabama-Huntsville (16-5) |
563 |
| 24. |
Central Oklahoma (17-3) |
560 |
| 25. |
West Georgia (13-7) |
555 |
| 26. |
West Texas A&M (17-6) |
554 |
| 27. |
Florida Southern (14-8) |
552 |
| 28. |
Southern Arkansas (19-4) |
551 |
| 29. |
Davenport (13-2) |
546 |
| 30. |
Chico St. (15-7) |
544 |
| 31. |
Oklahoma Baptist (19-6) |
541 |
| 32. |
Concordia Irvine (17-7) |
539 |
| 33. |
Colorado School of Mines (12-6) |
537 |
| 34. |
Wingate (15-6-1) |
532 |
| 35. |
Mercyhurst (5-3) |
531 |
| 36. |
Franklin Pierce (7-8) |
527 |
| 37. |
Quincy (10-6) |
526 |
| 38. |
East Stroudsburg (14-1-2) |
524 |
| 39. |
Point Loma Nazarene (9-9) |
517 |
| 40. |
Minnesota St. (8-5) |
513 |
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--GoAugie.com--
