SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--The Augustana baseball team is set to travel to Omaha, Nebraska, this weekend for a three-game series against Southwest Minnesota State. The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but will shift by a day as Sunday's doubleheader will take place at Creighton Prep in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning at 1:30 p.m. On Monday, the two squads will play a single, nine-inning game at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The first pitch for Monday is slated for 11 a.m.

Live stats will be available at GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app. The app is available in the app store and Google Play.

The Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota State is 8-2 in nonconference action. The Mustangs are coming off of a week-long trip to Tucson, Arizona, where they played all 10 of their preseason games.

Chase McDaniel has a batting average of .410 with 16 hits and seven RBI for SMSU in 2023. He is also 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts. Following closely behind McDaniel is Jaxon Haase who has logged 15 hits and has a batting average of .349. 

On the mound, Ansen Dulas has tossed 14 innings and holds a record of 1-0 having made two starts this season for the Mustangs. Dulas has also recorded 13 strikeouts, behind Kolby Kiser's 17 strikeouts. The SMSU pitching staff has only allowed three home runs in the 10 games that they have played this season.

The Vikings
Augustana holds a record of 11-9 overall this season and begin NSIC action against Southwest Minnesota State. 

At the plate, Jack Hines leads the Vikings with a batting average of .379 and has totaled 22 hits, two home runs and nine RBI this season. The Viking leader in the hits category is Trevor Winterstein with 27. Winterstein also leads the squad in runs with 19 and RBI with 18. He is the only Viking to have made all 20 starts this season.

Caleb Saari has spent 29 innings on the hill for Augustana, recording 40 strikeouts and a record of 3-1. Saari's ERA is 3.41 having made five starts this season for AU. Caleb Kranz has logged 26 strikeouts this season, having spent just 15.2 innings on the mound.

One Last Thing
The Vikings are 62-46 all-time against the Mustangs with the first-ever matchup occurring on April 11, 1980. In the team's last meeting, the Vikings were victorious in all three games of the series, earning the sweep.

Before You Go
Stay tuned to GoAugie.com for schedule changes regarding the Minot State series. 

–GoAugie.com–