SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- After winning the NSIC regular-season title, NSIC tournament title and going undefeated in the NCAA Central Regional in 2019, the Augustana baseball team returns to the diamond this weekend in Monticello, Arkansas, to start the 2020 season. 

The Event
The Vikings hit the road to face the No. 21 ranked Boll Weevils of Arkansas Monticello in a four-game series that features doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is set for noon on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. 

The Vikings are 3-0 in the all-time series with the Boll Weevils with Augustana winning last year's regional matchup at home by a score of 9-4. The Vikings also defeated Arkansas Monticello in the 2014 regional by a score of 8-6. The lone regular season matchup came during the 2004 season and resulted in a 6-2 Viking win. 

The Boll Weevils
Last season, Arkansas Monticello went 34-16 overall and 12-3 on its home turf. The Boll Weevils marched all the way to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament before being eliminated by Augustana and Oklahoma Baptist. 

Arkansas Monticello is currently 0-3 in 2020 with losses to No. 23 Colorado School of Mines, Flagler College and No. 18 Millersville. Senior Andrew Piraino leads the Boll Weevils in hitting on the young season with a .375 average, three hits, and two RBI's. Senior Matt Lundh logged the best performance on the mound, so far, for Arkansas Monticello with five innings and of one run ball with seven strikeouts, two walks and one hit. 

The Vikings
The aforementioned Vikings followed up their 2018 national championship by winning the NSIC regular-season title for the first time in school history and the NSIC tournament title for the second-consecutive season. Augustana, nationally-ranked 13th in the 2020 NCBWA Preseason Rankings, was selected second in the NCBWA Central Region Preseason Poll and first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. 

The 2020 squad features 30 returners and 13 newcomers. Of the 13 newcomers, nine are freshman and four are transfers. Of the returners, Augustana returns its top five batting averages from the 2019 season in Jordan Barth, Riley Johnson, JT Mix, Will Olson and Ryan Nickel. All members of the crew hit over .340 and had 10+ doubles. The top five hitters for Augustana also accounted for 26 of the 35 home runs hit and 236 of the 407 runs driven in by the Vikings last season. 

On the pitching side of things, the Vikings return seven of their top nine ERA leaders from last year, highlighted by Max Steffens. Steffens garnered just about every award that you can in a season last year for the Vikings and went 9-1 with a 2.77 ERA and seven complete games. Augustana also returns Tanner Brown and Seth Miller who went 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA, respectively. 

In the NCBWA Central Region Preseason Poll, Johnson, Steffens, Mix and Barth were named to the preseason first-team while Olson was named to the second-team. In the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, Steffens and Barth, All-Americans from last season, were picked player and pitcher of the year, respectively. 

Player to Watch
Barth played just 40 games for the Vikings last season, but the stats did not reflect the missed time. The 2020 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year hit .422 with 39 runs scored, 65 hits, 14 doubles, nine homers and 45 RBI's. He also slugged .688 and had an OBP of .468. His fielding percentage was .971 and he went 9 for 10 in stolen base attempts.

One Last Thing
Barth was also picked by NCAA.com's Wayne Cavadi as the Division II preseason player of the year candidate at first base. The full release can be found here.