SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- JT Mix traveled 823 miles from Farmers Branch, Texas, to Augustana University, a decision he said was "a bit of a leap of faith, but by far the best decision I've made in my life."

When asked about the decision to come to Augustana, Mix was quick to talk about the unique student-athlete experience that Augie offers.

"I decided to come to Augustana because I could tell there was just something different about being a student-athlete here," said Mix. "The university and the baseball program have a culture that breeds success, and emphasizes that success is only achieved with the help of those around you."

In the classroom, Mix highlights the rigorous curriculum and recognizes the faculty while talking about success.

"Academically, Augustana is one of the top tier universities in the Midwest," Mix said. "Being able to compete while earning a highly-valued education provides such an advantage for our student-athletes as they move on into their professional careers. 

"The support from the faculty is also tremendous. You'll always see your professors at games and they all make the extra effort to work with athletes during their seasons."

In addition to faculty, the senior talks about the culture of student-athletes and the community they create within athletics.

"It's a very tight knit community," said Mix. "The athletes at Augie take pride in supporting each other through attending other teams' events and competitions on campus. With how large of a student-athlete population there is here, you get the chance to meet and build relationships with  every team on campus."

On the baseball field, Mix was met with the same support from his head baseball coach, Tim Huber. Mix had no college offers as a senior in high school and then tore his meniscus during the season. The night he tore it, he spoke with Augustana's head coach.

"He [Coach Huber] was the first sign to me that there was something different about being a student-athlete at Augie," said Mix. "I could tell that his main focus was on bringing people in that would work well with others and that would show up to campus and work hard. 

"That's the kind of culture we have formed on the baseball team with his leadership. It's a team-first mentality that every one of us on the roster have bought into. We may not always be the most talented group in the country, but we have the best culture out there."

While Mix highlights the culture of the baseball team and Augustana overall, it's worth noting that the 2018 Viking baseball team was the most talented team in the country after going 52-9 en route to a National Championship trophy being raised in Cary, N.C.

The winning hit in the National Championship game? Then-freshman JT Mix singled through the right side to give Augustana a 3-2 lead and eventually a national championship. When asked about the moment, however, the now-senior was humble as ever and highlighted his teammates.

"It's still hard to believe it actually happened honestly," said Mix. "You dream of being in that situation when you're a kid and actually getting the opportunity to have that at bat is pretty surreal.

"In that at-bat, I had a lot less weight on my shoulders knowing that if I didn't get the job done, there were eight other guys in the order that would pick me up. Not to mention that we had the best pitching staff in the country that year that shut down hitters all season. 

"Any one of us on that team could have stepped to the plate and executed in that situation, it just happened that I was in the right place at the right time that game."