SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Opening Day is Tuesday for the No. 2 ranked Augustana softball team. The Vikings begin an eight-game trip to Texas as part of 26-straight scheduled games away from Sioux Falls to start the season.
 
The Vikings open play at No. 22 Texas A&M – Commerce on Tuesday, then play six games as part of the Arkansas Tech Winter Invite in Houston, Texas. The games on Tuesday will have live stats and live video ($), while it will be (pun intended) hit and miss for live stats at the Winter Invite. Stay tuned to GoAugie.com for the ability to follow the games live.
 
Augustana enters the season as the NSIC Preseason favorites and holds a No. 2 national ranking from the NFCA. The Vikings return three NFCA All-Americans in Mary Pardo, Ashley Mickschl and Torri Chute. Pardo, who ranked third in the nation in home runs in 2021, was selected as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. Additionally, she batted .330 with 60 hits, 28 of which went for extra bases for the season.
Mickschl is a three-time All-America selection and has won 89 games over her storied career at Augustana. In 2021, she led the nation with 27 wins and ranked sixth with a WHIP of 0.84. She tossed a perfect game on April 24 in a 9-0 Viking victory.
Chute was the NSIC Freshman of the Year and nearly flew under the radar while ranking ninth in NCAA Division II in total hits (71) and seventh nationally with 18 doubles. 
Other returners for AU include All-NSIC selections in Amber Elliott, Abby Lien, Abbie Lund and Amanda Dickmeyer. Augustana returns all but one player from the 2021 squad that won the NSIC Championship, Central Region Championship and ended 2021 ranked No. 3 in the NFCA Top-25.
To make a return to the National Championship site in Denver, Colorado, the Vikings begin with the aforementioned doubleheader at Texas A&M – Commerce.
 
The Arkansas Tech Winter Invite then begins with Texas A&M International and St. Mary's (Texas) on Thursday, Rogers State and Southern Arkansas on Friday and Oklahoma Christian and Arkansas Tech on Saturday. Oklahoma Christian owns a No. 15 national ranking while Southern Arkansas is No. 16. Rogers State opens the season receiving votes from the NFCA.
 
One Thing to Look For
Augustana head coach Gretta Melsted, the reigning NSIC Coach of the Year, enters 2022 with 593 wins while coaching at Augustana. That means she could hit No. 600 on the road trip to Texas. Additionally, she has recorded 674 wins in her head coaching career, making 700 wins a reality in 2022.