SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--Augustana baseball begins conference action at home this weekend hosting the St. Cloud State Huskies. The three-game series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1:30 p.m.

The Huskies

St. Cloud State currently holds a record of 8-6 after spending the preseason in Arkansas, Colorado and Florida. The Huskies finished 22-14 overall last season, falling to Augustana and Minnesota-Crookston in the NSIC tournament.

Sam Riola leads the Huskies in hits, home runs and RBIs this season. Riola has a batting average of .418 and has made 14 starts for St. Cloud State.

Leading the Huskies in strikeouts is Luke Tupy with 26. Tupy holds a record of 1-0 abd has pitched 13.2 innings.

SCSU was selected to finish third in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Vikings

Augustana starts NSIC play with a record of 10-3-1. The Vikings were selected to finish second in the NSIC this year.

Carter Howell was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year and currently leads the team in RBI with 20 and homeruns with four. Last season, Howell made 49 starts for the Vikings, 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.

On the mound, Caleb Saari leads the Vikings with 18 strikeouts this season. Seth Miller and Adam Diedrich are both 2-0 in games this season.

Up Next

Augustana will play at Ronken Field for the duration of March, hosting five total conference opponents. 

–GoAugie.com–