SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The No. 18 nationally-ranked Augustana baseball team opens NSIC play this weekend with a three-game series against the St. Cloud State Huskies. 

The Games
Baseball starts on Saturday with a doubleheader with first pitch set for 1:30 p.m. The series finale starts Sunday at noon. Due to COVID-19 protocols, fan attendance will be limited to a pass list for Viking players only. Live video and stats, however, can be found on GoAugie.com/Live for all three games. 

The Huskies
Picked to finish third in the NSIC, St. Cloud State comes into its matchup with Augustana at 2-3 on the season. The Huskies dropped two games to Minnesota Crookston and one game to William Jewell, before sweeping Bemidji State in a two-game set. The games against the NSIC foes do not count in the conference standings. 

The Vikings
Augustana is coming off a four-game sweep of Cameron University in which it outscored its opponent 50-18, out-hit it 56-25 and led in strikeouts on the mound (55-24). The sweep propelled the Vikings to a No. 18 national ranking and No. 3 ranking in the Central Region. The Vikings are the only nationally-ranked NSIC team and one of just two in the region rankings. 

On the mound, junior Tanner Brown, sophomore Ryan Jares and senior Max Steffens all dominated in their starts against Cameron, all logging five-or-more innings, six-or-more strikeouts and one-or-less runs allowed. Junior reliever Thomas Bruss also chipped in one of the most impressive baseball feats one could witness: a five strikeout inning, tying a Division I NCAA record. Division II, however, does not keep track of the record. 

At the plate, junior Jordan Barth extended his hitting-streak to 17 games after going 6-for-18 in the series and hitting safely in each game. Viking newcomer Christian Kuzemka (senior) impressed in his opening series with the Vikings, going 7-for-11 with four RBIs and four extra-base hits. Junior JT Mix, senior Sam Baier, senior Riley Johnson and sophomore Carter Howell all logged six-or-more hits in the series as well. 

Player to Watch
Senior Christian Kuzemka tore the cover off the baseball in his season-opening series with Augustana. Look for Kuzemka to continue to show off the power in the first NSIC series of the season. 

One Last Thing
The Vikings are 36-48 in the all-times series with the Huskies, with Augustana currently on a five-game win streak.