LOUISVILLE – The Augustana softball team will enter the 2022 season with a No. 2 national ranking from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The ranking marks the third-straight year that AU will hold a top-3 national ranking to enter a season.
 
The Vikings are coming off a 49-8 record in 2021, a record that saw AU tally the most wins in NCAA Division II. From that squad, Augustana loses just one player and brings in a recruiting class of five to total a 21-member squad.
 
The Vikings, led by reigning NSIC and Central Region Coach of the Year Gretta Melsted, open the 2022 season Tuesday, Feb. 1, at No. 22 Texas A&M – Commerce. Following the contest with the Lions, Augustana begins play at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invite in Houston, Texas, where it will face a pair of ranked opponents.
 
The 2022 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll will be announced Wednesday with a full preview of the season.