DENVER – The Augustana softball team opens play at the NCAA Division II National Championship on Thursday against Valdosta State in Denver, Colorado. The contest is the first of the tournament with the first pitch slated for noon (CT).
 
The site of the championship, the Assembly Athletic Complex, is the same field the Vikings won their 2019 National Championship on.
 
Augustana enters as the No. 1 seed in the eight-team tournament with its 47-6 record. Valdosta State is the No. 8 seed while holding a 38-9 record while winning the South Region Championship.
 
In what could be the only game this happens this season, seven All-America selections are competing in the contest with four from Augustana and three from Valdosta State.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana, the Central Region Champion, is ranked No. 1 in the nation and is highlighted by four All-America selections. Kendall Cornick is a First Team All-America selection with a .459 batting average while racking up 72 hits and 60 runs scored.
 
Torri Chute, the NSIC Freshman of the Year, is second on the team with a .403 batting average while leading the Central Region with 60 RBI. She holds a .698 slugging percentage and a .466 on-base percentage.
 
Mary Pardo ranks third in the nation with her 20 home runs in 2021, just three shy of tying the Augustana single-season record. She has led a powerful offense with her .743 slugging percentage.
 
In the circle, Ashley Mickschl, joining the previous three as an All-America selection, holds a 1.74 ERA with her 26-3 record. She has totaled 177.1 innings pitched allowing just 44 earned runs. Amber Elliott is 20-2 on the season with a 2.20 ERA.
 
About the Blazers
Valdosta State has seven hitters that are hitting .300 or higher led by Nicole Pennington at .423 and a nation's second-best 24 home runs. She is an NFCA All-America selection, one of three selections for the Blazers. Joining her on the All-America list is Kiley Robb, a .344 hitter in the infield with 17 home runs.
 
The third All-America selection is utility player/pitcher Morgan Hill. She has totaled 19 home runs and 45 RBI while holding a 7-3 record in the circle with a 1.95 ERA. Samantha Richards is the ace in the circle for VSU with a 27-6 record and 1.26 ERA.
 
The Series
Augustana and Valdosta State have a short history with just four games played. The last meeting was at the NCAA Division II National Championship site in Louisville, Kentucky, in a 5-4 AU loss. The other three meetings came in 1993 at the Midwest Regional hosted by Sioux Falls. Valdosta won the first game 3-2, but the tournament saw Augustana come back and claim the region championship with 6-1 and 14-0 victories.
 
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's game advances to a noon (CT) contest against the winner of North Georgia and Biola. The loser of the game plays Friday at 5 p.m. against the loser of the same two schools.