SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- After an impressive doubleheader sweep over No. 11-ranked Minnesota State, the No. 20-ranked Augustana baseball team is at home for its final regular-season series of 2021 this weekend when it takes on the Wildcats of Wayne State in a three-game series. The Vikings will also hold their senior day celebration this weekend. 

The Games
First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1:30 p.m. with Sunday's game three set for noon. The Vikings will honor their seniors at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday before game three. 

The 2021 seniors being honored include: Aiden Ladd, Darek Bornemeier, Jordan Gesling, Josh Peterson, Koby Bishop, Parker Hanson, Sam Baier, Riley Johnson, Max Steffens, Michael Jensen and Christian Kuzemka. In addition, Augustana will honor the 2020 senior baseball class that had its senior day cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Fans are also encouraged to bring a canned good or non-perishable item to support Feeding South Dakota as Augustana Athletics is partnering with Augustana's Black Student Union to end hunger in South Dakota.

In compliance with Augustana's COVID-19 protocols, attendance for the games will be open to the public with a limited capacity. All spectators must wear a mask unless actively eating or drinking. In addition, fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to help support physical distancing. The full spectator policy can be found here. In addition, live video and live stats will be provided on GoAugie.com/Live. 

The Wildcats
Picked to finish fifth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Wayne State comes into its matchup with Augustana at 10-19 overall and 9-16 within the NSIC. Most recently, the Wildcats suffered sweeps at the hands of Minnesota State and Winona State. 

At the plate, Wayne State is led by Alex Logelin who is hitting .395 with 13 doubles, four homers, 18 RBIs and eight steals. On the mound, Ryan Obrecht leads the Wildcats in wins with a 3-2 record. 

The Vikings
Augustana comes into its matchup with Wayne State at 26-8 overall and 22-8 within the NSIC. Currently, the Vikings are second in the NSIC standings and have also jumped back into the NCAA rankings at the No. 20 spot. 

The aforementioned sweep of the No. 11-ranked Mavericks of Minnesota State took place last Wednesday at Bowyer Field in Mankato, Minnesota. Senior lefty Koby Bishop and sophomore righty Ryan Jares shutout the Mavericks for just the second and third time this season and Augustana handed Minnesota State its first and second home loss of 2021 in the process. 

On the mound, the Viking pitching staff continues to lead the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.4. In turn, they lead the NSIC in overall strikeouts with 373 in their 34 games played. The staff also leads the nation in shutouts with seven. 

On the basepaths, Augustana is third in the country in stolen bases with 90. Leading the charge is sophomore outfielder Carter Howell who leads the NSIC in steals with 21. Howell also leads the NSIC in batting average, runs scored and hits. 

Howell is a catalyst on a Viking offense that leads the conference in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and stolen bases. Howell is joined by Sam Baier, Riley Johnson, Jordan Barth, Will Olson and Christian Kuzemka as Vikings who are hitting above .300, own 10-plus extra-base hits and 20-plus RBIs. 

Barth, Baier and Olson are also in a three-way tie for second-place in homers in the NSIC with nine apiece. 

Players to Watch
Augustana's NSIC Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year are playing their best down the stretch of the 2021 season. Senior righty Max Steffens nearly went the distance in his game-three victory over Winona State last weekend and junior infielder Jordan Barth has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games and tallied multiple hits in five of those games.

One Last Thing
The last time Augustana met Wayne State was a three-game series in 2019 in Wayne, Nebraska, where the Vikings won the series, winning two-of-three games.