SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- No. 17 Augustana baseball begins the month of April with a three-game series at Minnesota Crookston. The games,originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, will now take place on Sunday and Monday. First pitch for the Sunday doubleheader is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Vikings remain up north, but switch states, for a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader at Minot State. 

Live video and stats will be available at GoAugie.com/Live and on the GoAugie app, presented by CellOnly, found in the app store and on Google Play.

The Golden Eagles

Minnesota Crookston is 12-15 overall and holds an NSIC record of 4-4. The Golden Eagles most recently split a doubleheader against Upper Iowa, taking the first game 4-2 and falling to the Peacocks 17-7 in game two.

Ben Thoma is leading the Golden Eagles in home runs with 10 and RBI with 29. Jake Hjelle and Brad Morris currently lead the team in hits with 33 each, and Thoma follows closely behind with 27 hits.

Jake Dykhoff holds a 5-2 record on the mound and has appeared in seven games, making six starts for the Golden Eagles. Dykhoff has an ERA of 1.51 and follows Alex Koep in strikeouts with 50.

The Beavers

Minot State holds an overall record of 12-13 overall and a 6-4 record in conference play. The Beavers defeated Wayne State in a doubleheader on Tuesday, defeating the Wildcats 5-2 in game one and 6-4 in game two. Prior to the doubleheader against Augustana, MSU will play in a three-game series against Upper Iowa.

Leading the Beavers in hits is Matt Malone. Malone has recorded 31 hits in 97 at bats and has a batting average of .320. Drew Behling is the leader in RBI with 25.

RJ Martinez is 3-0 on the mound for MSU. His ERA is .90 and he has appeared in five games, making four starts.

The Vikings

Augustana is 19-4-1 overall and 9-1 in conference action. The Vikings bested UMary in a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader, defeating the Marauders 4-2 in game one and 8-7 in game two. The Vikings are nationally ranked at No. 17 in the NCBWA Top-25 Poll.

Drey Dirksen and Tanner Brown earned NSIC Player of the Week honors last week. Dirksen was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Player of the Week. He totaled nine hits in 16 at bats, six home runs and 17 RBI in Augustana's five wins against Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State. Dirksen leads the team in home runs with eight.

Carter Howell and Jordan Barth are at the top of the list in hits for Augustana. Howell has logged 36 hits and Barth follows closely behind with 33 hits. 

On the mound, Brown and Seth Miller hold 3-0 records. In the first game against UMary, Caleb Saari dominated on the mound and earned a complete-game victory, striking out 10 batters.

One Last Thing

Jordan Barth is at 57 doubles in his career. The school record is 65. It is worth keeping an eye on a second career record falling in the 2022 season for the Viking baseball team. 

Up Next

The Vikings travel to Marshall, Minnesota, for a three-game series against Southwest Minnesota State on April 9-10. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m. on April 9.

–GoAugie.com–