SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's the final home weekend for the No. 12 Augustana softball team as the Vikings host Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. The weekend marks Alumni Weekend while Senior Day will be celebrated Sunday.
 
As things currently stand, both doubleheaders have a noon start on Saturday and Sunday. However, stay tuned to @AugieSoftball social media channels for any weather updates.
 
All games at Sherman Park are free to attend. Those unable to attend can catch live video and live stats at GoAugie.com/Live or on the GoAugie app, presented by CellOnly, found in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
 
About the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth is 35-12 in 2022 with a 20-6 NSIC record. In the most recent NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 10. UMD has tallied eight-straight wins including a sweep of Minnesota Crookston this past Wednesday.
 
Jordyn Thomas is the leading hitter for the Bulldogs in average (.375), home runs (10), doubles (12) and total hits (57). She owns an OPS of 1.109 and a slugging percentage just north of .660.
 
Two pitchers own 23 or more appearances for the Bulldogs with Lauren Dixon leading the way with a 16-6 record and a 1.78 ERA. Sam Pederson is 12-3 on the year with 19 starts.
 
About the Huskies
St. Cloud State enters the weekend at 32-15 overall and 20-6 in the NSIC. Prior to playing Augustana, the Huskies will play a doubleheader at Wayne State. Most recently, SCSU swept Bemidji State to push a six-game winning streak.
 
Raven Vanden Langenberg owns the top batting average for the Huskies at .378 while tallying nine doubles and nine home runs. Sydney Trees, the team leader in home runs at 15, is the team leader in RBI with 48.
 
In the circle, Trinity Junker has racked up a 16-6 record with a 1.66 ERA. She has started 22 games and struck out 158 batters.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana is sitting at 40-7 on the season and 24-2 within the NSIC. The Vikings have won 21 straight games and returns to Sioux Falls where they have won 43-straight home games. Most recently, the Vikings played their first doubleheader away from Sioux Falls since April 3 with a sweep this past Thursday of Southwest Minnesota State. Augustana won those contests by scores of 5-0 and 9-1.
 
In that doubleheader, Mary Pardo became the single-season record holder for home runs as she clubbed her 24^th of the season. That also propelled the senior into the nation's leader in the category. In all, Augustana has totaled 82 home runs this season, a mark that ties for second-most in a season with 2015. The most? That came in 2019 when the Vikings totaled 94 four-base hits.
 
Along with Pardo's 24, Abby Lien has hit 13, Delaney Young has totaled 12 and Torri Chute is at 11. In addition, Gracey Brink and Kennedy Buckman have totaled nine and seven home runs, respectively.
 
Going up and down Augustana's lineup, the Vikings own a team average of .379 with all nine hitters batting .320 or better. Brink is the team leader at .464.
 
In the circle, All-America honoree Ashley Mickschl owns a 17-2 record with a 1.47 era. Amber Elliott is 16-2 with a 1.40 ERA while striking out 111 batters in 100.1 innings.
 
One Last Thing
Augustana can clinch a share of its second-straight NSIC Championship by simply winning two games this weekend. To win it outright in the simplest form, Augustana would need to win three games. If Minnesota State would drop a single game, both of those win numbers can be subtracted by one. However, if Augustana just does what it has done all year, winning give AU the NSIC Championship.