BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The NSIC Champion Augustana softball team begins play at the NSIC Tournament beginning Thursday in Rochester, Minnesota. The Vikings know when their first game will be, but other than that, it is wait and see mode.
 
Augustana will play at 2 p.m. but will await the lowest remaining seed between the No. 7 and No. 10 game between Upper Iowa and Wayne State or the No. 8 and No. 9 game between Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. Those games begin at 10 a.m. Thursday.
 
Live video will be available for all games, with a full television production for the Saturday championship. Live stats will also be available throughout. GoAugie.com/Live will have all the links to follow the Vikings.
 
The Vikings are the NSIC Champions after completing a 27-3 NSIC schedule as part of a 43-8 overall record.
 
The Vikings have every hitter in the starting lineup hitting .326 or better while six hitters have nine or more home runs. Leading the way is Mary Pardo with her 24 home runs in 2022 while Abby Lien is at 14. Delaney Young and Torri Chute have launched 13 and 12 home runs, respectively.
 
In terms of average, Gracey Brink leads AU at .464 with Young just behind at .411.
 
As a team, Augustana is the nation's leader in several categories including total hits (532), runs scored per game (8.35) and total runs (426). Pardo holds the nation's lead with her 24 home runs.
 
In the circle, Ashley Mickschl and Amber Elliott have continued their dominance. Mickschl is 19-2 with a 1.34 ERA while Elliott is 17-3 with a 1.59 ERA.
 
The schedule for the tournament has Augustana playing just a single game on Thursday and a possibility of two-to-three games on Friday. The NSIC Tournament Championship is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday.