SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- Augustana baseball is set for the first round of the NSIC Tournament and will face the UMary Marauders. The matchup is scheduled for Noon at Ronken Field on Wednesday. The winner of the series will move on to the second round of the NSIC Tournament, an eight-team double-elimination tournament. 

The Games

Game one is slated for Wednesday at Noon with game two scheduled for Thursday. The two-site tournament is hosted by Augustana and Sioux Falls, with games taking place at Ronken Field in Sioux Falls and First National Bank Field at Aspen Park in Brandon, South Dakota.

The ticket policy implemented by the NSIC for the tournament is $20 for adults, $10 for students and free for ages five-and-under. General admission all-tournament passes are available for $35 and will provide access for both locations.

Augustana earned the number one seed after winning its second NSIC Regular Season Championship with a league record of 31-5.

First Round Matchups

#8 UMary vs. #1 Augustana, Ronken Field, Sioux Falls, S.D., Noon

#5 Winona State vs. #4 Minot State, First National Bank Field, Brandon, S.D., 12:30 p.m.

#7 Sioux Falls vs. #2 St. Cloud State, Ronken Field, Sioux Falls, S.D., 6 p.m.

#6 Minnesota Duluth vs. #3 Minnesota State, First National Bank Field, Brandon, S.D., 6:30 p.m.

The Marauders

UMary finished the regular season in eighth place in the NSIC, holding an overall record of 24-25 and 16-18 in conference play. The Marauders went 3-2 last week, splitting a double header with St. Cloud State and claiming a three-game series at Minnesota Crookston that would end the Golden Eagles' season.

Derek Shoen leads the Marauders with 51 RBI and a .329 batting average. Shoen also leads with 14 home runs and is second for most hits with 55. Cal James holds a batting average of .326 and has made starts in all 49 of UMary's games, leading the lineup with 60 hits.

On the mound, Austin Wagner has pitched 64.2 innings, making 11 starts. Wagner's ERA is the second-lowest on the team at 3.06. He holds a 5-3 record and leads with 91 strikeouts. Jonathan Draheim has made nine starts for the Marauders and holds a 1-0 record with 36 strikeouts.

The Vikings

Augustana completed the regular season with a series win over Minnesota State last weekend to claim the 2022 NSIC regular season title. The Viking's overall record is 41-8-1 and the team finished regular season play at 31-5. AU is ranked at No. 18 in the NCBWA Top-25 Poll and see a spot at No. 2 in the second Central Regional Poll. 

Carter Howell leads Augustana with a .402 batting average and 58 RBI, and has started all 47 games for the Vikings. Jordan Barth is the team leader with 13 doubles, 70 hits and has a .380 batting average. Will Olson follows closely behind Howell with 59 hits and a batting average of .399.

JT Mix earned NSIC Player of the Week honors last week for leading the Vikings with seven hits and four RBI while recording a double and a triple in the series that helped Augustana win the regular season title. Mix hit .636 in the three-game series.

Tanner Brown holds a 7-1 record on the mound and is second for Augustana in all-time pitching wins. Brown, Augustana's career strikeout leader, has an ERA of 1.36 and leads the team with 93 strikeouts. Seth Miller is 6-0 with an ERA of 2.57 and Ryan Jares is 7-2 with 88 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.90. 

Through 47 games, the Vikings have struck out 464 opposing hitters. The 2019 team struck out 449 and the 2017 team struck out 499, both in 59 games. The 2018 national champion team tops the list with 559 strikeouts in 61 games. 

2022 Series

The Vikings hosted UMary at Ronken Field for a weekday doubleheader on March 29, defeating the Marauders 4-2 in game one and 8-7 in game two. Carter Howell tallied a two homer day while Caleb Saari dominated on the mound for a complete-game victory. Saari struck out a career-high 10 batters in the 4-2 win.

The Tournament

The winner of the NSIC Baseball Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The 39-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC). Automatic bids are awarded to the tournament champions from each conference with the final five spots awarded on an at-large basis.

–GoAugie.com–