SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- Augustana baseball begins its season in Houston, Texas, this weekend. Central Missouri and the Houston Astros will be hosting the Houston Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The tournament is scheduled for Feb. 11-13.

Live stats will be available at GoAugie.com/Live. No live video will be provided for this event.

The Games

The Vikings will be playing at Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros. The first game for Augustana will be on Friday at 10 a.m. against Arkansas Tech. On Saturday, the Vikings will step on the field at 10 a.m. for a game against Arkansas Monticello. AU's last game of the weekend will be on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against Central Missouri.

The Wonder Boys

Arkansas Tech started the 2022 season 2-0 with wins over Missouri Western and Mississippi College. The Wonder Boys defeated Missouri Western with a final score of 11-4. On Feb. 8, they defeated Mississippi College, 9-3. The Wonder Boys are ranked at No. 19 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Poll. 

The Weevils 

Arkansas Monticello is 2-0 to start the 2022 season. The two wins are over West Alabama. The Weevils placed fifth in the Great American Conference in 2021, holding an overall record of 22-18 last season. 

The Mules

Central Missouri is ranked at No. 3 in the 2022 NWBCA Poll. The Mules were also picked as the favorites atop the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The team's three game homestand against Arkansas Tech was canceled due to weather conditions.

The Vikings

The Vikings finished the 2021 season with a record of 36-13 overall and 27-9 in NSIC action. AU returns three of four student-athletes that garnered American Baseball Coaches Association All-region honors last season in Will Olson, Carter Howell and Ryan Jares. Olson and Howell also earned ABCA All-American honors. 

Carter Howell was selected as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year in the poll. Howell earned ABCA/Rawlings Second-Team All-America, ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-Region, NCBWA Second-Team All-Region, D2CCA Second-Team All-Region, First-Team All-NSIC, NSIC All-Tournament Team and NSIC Player of the Week honors during the 2021 season. Making 49 starts for the Vikings, Howell held a batting average of .423 with 58 runs scored, led the NSIC with 83 hits, 12 doubles, four triples, 10 homeruns, 46 RBIs, a .670 slugging percentage, 20 walks, 11 HBPs, a .498 on-base percentage and 28 steals in 30 attempts.

Augustana begins its season at home on March 15, hosting Dakota Wesleyan. The Vikings have 50 games on their schedule for the 2022 season.

–GoAugie.com–