SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana softball team heads to North Dakota for a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. The Vikings first face Minot State on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon inside the Air-Supported Dome while Sunday's contest is in Bismarck against UMary.
 
The No. 1 ranked Vikings are 23-3 on the season and sit in first place in the NSIC with an 11-1 record.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana is coming off a doubleheader sweep over Southwest Minnesota State and has now won nine-straight games and 20 of its last 21 contests. The Vikings have won games in multiple fashions and including use of the long ball. The Vikings rank third in the nation with 1.42 home runs per game.
 
Kendall Cornick continues to lead the team with a .506 batting average while leading the NSIC with 43 hits and 12 doubles. Cornick also leads the NSIC with 22 stolen bases this season, a mark that has just reached the 10^th-most in single-season history. Mary Pardo leads the NSIC with 11 home runs, a mark that ranks ninth in the nation.
 
In the circle, Amber Elliott leads the NSIC with 12 wins while holding a 2.32 ERA. She has struck out 75 hitters in 78.1 innings pitched. Ashley Mickschl, the Preseason NSIC Pitcher of the Year, is 11-2 with a 2.44 ERA. She has not allowed a walk in the last three games she has pitched.
 
About the Beavers
Minot State enters Saturday's doubleheader with an even 12-12 record. Furthermore, in the NSIC the Beavers are 5-5 within the NSIC. After having last Sunday's doubleheader with SCSU cancelled, the last time MSU stepped on the diamond was a pair of doubleheader losses to Minnesota Duluth, 5-1 and 1-0, on April 10.
 
Jamie Odlum, who has played in 22-of-24 games this year, is the team leader with a .478 batting average. Julia Suchan is the team leader with 18 RBI based on six doubles and three triples.
 
Trinity Valentine is the team leader in wins and appearances for Minot State in the circle. She has appeared in 18 of the 24 games and owns a 7-5 record while striking out 72 in 78 innings pitched. Gabi Dawyduk is second on the team in innings pitched with 31.1 and owns a 2-4 record.
 
Minot State is coached by a familiar face to Viking fans as Nat Wagner is in his second year with the program. Wagner spent three years with Augustana and was with the program for the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship.
 
About the Marauders
It's been a slow start to the season for UMary as it has tallied a 2-21 overall record while holding a 1-9 mark in NSIC action. The lone win for UMary was a 5-4 win over Minnesota State on April 3.
 
Mariah Sanchez is the team leader in batting average at .342. She has tallied a team-high 26 hits with three doubles and a triple. Rachael Laetsch leads the team with two home runs while Kaylee Kannegiesser has the most RBI at nine.
 
Alissa Alvarado and Brooke Harder have each tallied a win for UMary in the circle. Alvarado is the team leader with 32 strikeouts.