BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- For the second-consecutive season, the Augustana baseball team has been picked to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings earned 195 points and 13 first-place votes in the 2021 poll.

Augustana also swept the preseason awards for the second-straight season with senior Max Steffens being named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year and junior Jordan Barth being named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. 

The Vikings
Coach Huber and the Augustana baseball team brought in 10 newcomers to the 2021 squad to push the roster to 43 members. The Vikings return a large majority of starters on the mound and in the field with a verteran roster comprised of eight seniors and nine juniors. 

"Considering how old and experienced we are and the number of players still remaining from the successful teams we have had the past couple years, it is hard not to be excited and have high expectations," head coach Tim Huber said. "If we stay healthy, I expect us to be one of the most talented teams offensively and on the mound."

Offensively, the Vikings return big bats from 2020 in Barth (.471 average with an OBP% of .481 and .647 SLG%), sophomore Carter Howell (.440 average with eight extra-base hits and 17 runs scored), junior Jaxon Rosencranz (.370 average with six homers, four doubles and 19 RBIs), senior Riley Johnson (.340 average with 12 runs scored, two homers and eight RBIs), senior Sam Baier (.292 average with five extra-base hits and eight RBIs) and junior Will Olson (.333 average with three homers and 11 RBIs). 

On the mound, Augustana returns the reigning (2019) NSIC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year in Steffens. It also returns sophomore Seth Miller (3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts) and junior Tanner Brown (19 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched). The three will spearhead a strong Vikings rotation. Seniors relievers Parker Hanson, Koby Bishop and Jordan Gesling also return to the mound in 2021 for Augustana. 

Projected to finish first in the NSIC last season, the Vikings found success in 2020 despite the season being cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic. Augustana went 9-4, including two wins over then-No. 21 Arkansas Monticello and a three-game road sweep of Southwest Baptist. Jordan Barth hit safely in all 13 games and was named NSIC Player of the Week and NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week when the Vikings swept Southwest Baptist. Tanner Brown also earned NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors with his win against Arkansas Monticello. 

Max Steffens
After transferring to Augustana his junior year, Steffens garnered almost every award that was available during the 2019 campaign. Steffens was named to the NCBWA All-American second-team, NCBWA Central Region first-team and NCBA/Rawlings All-Region first-team. He was also the NCBWA Central Region Pitcher of the Year, D2CCA Central Region Pitcher of the Year and NSIC Pitcher of the Year. In the NSIC, he was the Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-NSIC, a Gold Glove award winner and made the Spring NSIC All-Academic Team. 

Steffens' 2019 stats were just as impressive as his accolades. The junior appeared in 16 games making 15 starts going 9-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched. He struck out 68 hitters and kept his opponents to a .235 batting average. Steffens broke the Augustana record for starts and innings pitched and led the NSIC in both of those categories. He also finished second in the NSIC in wins.

Steffens sat out the COVID-shortened 2020 season due to injury. 

Jordan Barth
After a freshman season that featured a national championship and NSIC Freshman of the Year honors, Barth missed 19 games due to injury during his sophomore campaign in 2019. The injury didn't affect the Viking slugger at all and made his stats look all the more impressive. 

In just 40 games in 2019, Barth hit .422 with 39 runs scored, 65 hits, 14 doubles, nine homers and 45 RBI's. He slugged .688, had an OBP of .468, had a fielding percentage of .971 and stole nine bases in ten attempts. For his efforts, Barth earned NCBWA All-American third-team honors and was also named to the NCBA/Rawlings All-Region first-team, NCBWA Central Region first-team and D2CCA Central Region first-team. He was also named first-team All-NSIC.

Before the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, Barth was on pace for another impressive campaign. The corner infielder started and hit safely in all 13 games for the Vikings with a .471 batting average, 24 hits, six doubles, one homer, 12 runs scored and 11 RBIs. He also earned NSIC Player of the Week and NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week honors after going 8-for-12 with five runs scored, seven RBIs, one homer, one double and two stolen bases in a three-game series sweep of Southwest Baptist. 

2021 NSIC Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll

1. Augustana (13)	195
2. Minnesota State (2)	181
3. St. Cloud State	160
4. Minot State	153
5. Wayne State	151
6. Winona State	130
7. Minnesota Crookston	114
8. Concordia-St. Paul	103
9. Northern State	78
10. Minnesota Duluth	77
11. UMary	69
12. Southwest Minnesota State	59
13. Sioux Falls	41
14. Upper Iowa	36
15. Bemidji State	28