SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana softball team closes the 2023 regular season Saturday and Sunday with the ability to win their third-straight NSIC Championship. The Vikings are at St. Cloud State on Saturday and at Minnesota Duluth on Sunday. Both doubleheaders are slated to begin at noon.
 
If all goes according to Augustana's plan, the doubleheader with Minnesota Duluth will be for the NSIC Championship as both teams are tied for first place in the NSIC standings with 20-4 records.
 
Live stats and live video will be available at GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app. The app is available in the app store and Google Play and is presented by the Original Pancake House. 
 
About the Huskies
St. Cloud State is 29-16 in 2023 while holding a 14-6 NSIC record. For the final weekend of action, the Huskies are in fifth place of the NSIC standings and have swept their last two series. Those included victories at Sioux Falls and a home sweep against Bemidji State.
 
One of the better hitting teams in the NSIC, the Huskies bat .308 as a team and are led by Holly Weinberger with a .374 average. Jasmin Estrada ranks sixth in the league with nine home runs while racking up 38 RBI. Trinity Junker is the pitching leader with 22 starts and a 15-6 record. She's tossed 124.1 innings while striking out 149 batters.
 
About the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth is 34-9 overall and 20-4 in the NSIC. The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 games with the lone loss being a split with Southwest Minnesota State on April 24. Prior to that, the Bulldogs split with Bemidji State, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State as part of their four losses.
 
Minnesota Duluth is led by Nicole Schmitt in the batter's box with her .385 average. Kat Burkhardt leads the way in the power category with seven home runs and 33 RBI. The league's preseason pitcher of the year was Lauren Dixon and she has tossed to a 16-3 record and 1.24 ERA. In 124.2 innings, she's struck out 177 batters.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana is 33-12 on the year while holding that aforementioned 20-4 NSIC record. As long as the Vikings match the Bulldogs' record on Saturday, or do better, the Sunday contest will pit AU for an NSIC Championship.
 
Torri Chute leads the way batting with her .432 average on the year while Delaney Young holds a .421 average. Kennedy Buckman has turned into a true power hitter, ranking second in the country with her 19 home runs. Her 55 RBIs are atop the NSIC.
 
Hailey Houston and Lexi Lander are the Vikings' two starting pitchers while Houston is 16-3 with a 2.32 ERA. Lander is 14-7 with a 2.94 ERA.
 
One Last Thing
With Augustana playing for an NSIC Championship, we'd be remiss not to talk about the softball program's history. With a win, it would mark the Vikings' 15^th conference championship in softball with nine coming from the North Central Conference and currently five in the NSIC. Augustana has claimed its five NSIC titles under the leadership of head coach Gretta Melsted while the nine in the NCC spanned 1982-2006.