SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 7 Augustana softball team is back in action Saturday and Sunday with four games taking place in Mankato, Minnesota. On Saturday, the Vikings face No. 15 Minnesota State with a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, AU has a doubleheader with CSP starting at 11 a.m.
 
Saturday's games will have a webcast along with live stats while Sunday's will only have live stats. All information on how to follow the contests can be found at GoAugie.com/Live or on the GoAugie app, presented by CellOnly, found in the app store and on Google play.
 
About the Mavericks
Minnesota State holds a 20-6 record in 2022 while sitting at 2-0 in the NSIC. The Mavericks snuck past Concordia-St. Paul in the NSIC opener with 4-0 and 1-0 victories this past Tuesday.
 
Picked second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, MSU is led by Kylie Sullivan in the batter's box with a .373 average, totaling 28 hits and eight doubles. Madi Newman leads the team with 27 RBI and five home runs while owning a .625 slugging percentage.
 
In the circle, NSIC Pitcher of the Year Mackenzie Ward leads the team with a 13-2 record. She has tossed 96.1 innings with 148 strikeouts and has given up just 11 earned runs.
 
About the Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul holds a 17-4-1 record on the season but is 0-2 in the NSIC after the previously mentioned opener against Minnesota State.
 
Amanda Parsons and Grace Beseman each own batting averages over .400 while Beseman's comes with a team-leading five home runs. In addition, Alexus Houston and Clara Heislen are both over .300 with a .393 and .324 batting average, respectively.
 
Bryanna Olson owns the most starts and most wins in the circle for CSP with 13 starts and an 11-2 record. She owns a 1.62 ERA.
 
About the Vikings
The seventh-ranked Vikings are 18-5 and 2-0 in the NSIC after sweeping Wayne State to open the conference season. Gracey Brink continues to lead Augustana with her .457 batting average as seven hitters are .306 or better on the year.
 
The Vikings' power comes in the form of four players with Mary Pardo, Delaney Young and Abby Lien all hitting six home runs while Torri Chute has recorded five. Young leads the team with 30 RBI.
 
In the circle, Ashley Mickschl pitched another shutout against Wayne State to lower her ERA to 1.02 while holding a 7-1 record. Amber Elliott is 6-1 with a team-best 41 strikeouts over 49 innings pitched.
 
One Last Thing
The Vikings recently had two members named to the Top-50 list for Schutt/NFCA Player of the Year. Both Pardo and Chute are on the list, one of just two schools with multiple honorees.