SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's tournament time for the nation's top-ranked softball team as Augustana begins NSIC Tournament action on Thursday. The 10-team, double elimination tournament takes place in Rochester, Minnesota, with the Vikings' first game slated for 2 p.m. Augustana enters as the NSIC Regular Season Champion.
 
The opponent is to be determined as seeds 7-10 will play in the opening round. Augustana will face the lowest seed that wins in the opening round, essentially eliminating the possibility of playing No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State in the opening round. The three possibilities for AU to face are No. 8 Minot State, No. 9 Sioux Falls and No. 10 Northern State. Those opening games take place at 10 a.m. Thursday.
 
The Vikings are 40-4 on the season, the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation and won the NSIC with a 28-2 record. Augustana completed its home season with a perfect 14-0 record and have won 12-straight games dating back to April 24 when AU had a sweep of MSU Moorhead.
 
Kendall Cornick is the do-everything outfielder for the Vikings as she leads the NSIC in batting average (.492), on-base percentage (.554), stolen bases (32) and hits (63). She ranks in the top-15 in the country in all of those categories. Mary Pardo, the Vikings' center fielder, is the leagues' home run leader with 17 home runs while Torri Chute is the RBI leader at 57.
 
Defensively, Augustana is led in the pitching circle by Preseason NSIC Pitcher of the Year Ashley Mickschl with her league-high 22 wins while pitching to a 1.90 ERA. Her 22 wins rank third in the nation while her 19 complete games are sixth in the country.
 
As a team, Augustana ranks in the top-five in the nation in nine different statistical categories including third in home runs (61). The Vikings are also ranked third in the nation, easily topping the NSIC, with 326 runs scored.
 
Should the Vikings win, they would advance to Friday and play at noon. The championship set is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday with a 4 p.m. second contest if necessary.
 
The NSIC will be providing a live stream and live stats which can be accessed at GoAugie.com/Live.