SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- No. 11 Augustana baseball opens NCAA Tournament Baseball this week in Warrensburg, Missouri, at the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. Central Missouri, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, is set to host at Crane Stadium at Tompkins Field. The trip to regionals is the fourth-consecutive for the Vikings.
The Tournament
Augustana is the No. 5 seed in the tournament and will take on No. 4 seeded Minnesota State on Thursday at 2 p.m. Central Missouri, the No. 1 seed, is set to play against Ouachita Baptist, the No. 8 seed, on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Minnesota State, nationally ranked at No. 19, is 39-7 overall this season and clinched an automatic playoff berth after winning the 2022 NSIC Tournament. The Mavericks have faced off against the Vikings five times in the last two weeks and hold a 3-2 record over the Vikings.
Central Missouri is 43-7 overall and won the MIAA conference tournament to earn hosting rights for the second year in a row. The Mules are nationally ranked at No. 3 in the latest NCBWA Top-25 poll.
Ouachita Baptist holds an overall record of 32-22 this season. The Tigers earned an at-large playoff berth in the NCAA selection show last Sunday night. It is the third NCAA tournament berth for Ouachita Baptist in program history and the first since its national runner-up finish in the 2008 season.
The full bracket for the NCAA Central Regional can be found here.
The Vikings
Augustana completed the 2022 season as the NSIC regular-season champions and went 3-2 overall at the NSIC tournament, falling to Minnesota State in the championship game. The Vikings are 44-10-1 overall.
Augustana's pitching staff is one of the best in the nation, surpassing 500 strikeouts in a single season for the third time in program history. The Vikings are the national leaders in giving up just 6.62 hits per game while ranking second in NCAA DII with a 2.88 ERA. In addition, AU is the nation's leader in WHIP at just 1.08 and second in strikeout-to-walk ration at 3.55:1.
Tanner Brown holds an 8-1 record on the mound and is tied for career pitching wins at Augustana with 24. Brown, also the career strikeout leader for the Vikings, has struck out 102 batters this season and was named the 2022 NSIC Pitcher of the Year with an ERA of 1.47. That ERA ranks him third in all of NCAA Division II. Ryan Jares holds a record of 7-2, and ERA of 1.96 and has recorded 101 strikeouts this season. Jares was named to the NSIC All-tournament team after striking out 13 batters against Minnesota State in the Viking's third game of the tournament. Jares is the nation's leader in WHIP as he gives up less than a walk or hit per inning pitched.
Carter Howell leads Augustana with a .398 batting average and 63 RBI, and has started all 55 games for the Vikings. Jordan Barth is the team leader with 16 doubles, 83 hits and has a .382 batting average. Barth also broke his second and third program records during the NSIC tournament, becoming the career leader in both hits and RBI. Will Olson follows closely behind Howell with 68 hits and a batting average of .389.
Augustana also broke the program record for team home runs in a single season with the 74th against Winona State.
A Viking win on Thursday will place them against the winner of Central Missouri and Ouachita Baptist on Friday at 6 p.m. A loss would force AU to play the loser of that contest at 2 p.m. Friday.
–GoAugie.com–
