SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It's tournament time for the three-time defending NSIC Champion Augustana softball team. The Vikings, who won their 15^th overall conference championship, now look to defend their NSIC Tournament Championship they claimed in 2022.
 
Augustana knows it will play at 2 p.m. to open the NSIC Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. What it doesn't know is who it will play. The Vikings have a possibility of four teams: No. 8 Bemidji State, No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 7 Minot State or No. 8 Sioux Falls.
 
At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Concordia-St. Paul and Sioux Falls will play one another while Minot state and Bemidji State will tangle. The Vikings will face the lowest-seeded winner.
 
Augustana, the No. 1 seed with a 23-5 NSIC record wrapped up its third-straight regular season championship with a sweep of No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth this past Sunday. The Vikings defeated the Bulldogs 17-4 and 16-11. Over the two games, Torri Chute went 8-for-10 while Gracey Brink was 7-for-10 at the plate.
 
For the season, Chute, the front-runner for the NSIC Player of the Year, batted .450 over the 49 games played and raised her average to .524 in NSIC action, easily a conference best. The second-best hitter by average? Delaney Young and her .474 average.
 
Kennedy Buckman ended the regular season ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II with 20 home runs while also leading the league with 60 RBI.
 
In the circle, Hailey Houston owns a 2.63 ERA while holding a 17-4 record while striking out 103 batters. Lexi Lander has typically been the game two starter with her 16-7 record that jumped to 11-3 in the NSIC. Her ERA within league play is at 2.0.
 
With a win on Wednesday, the Vikings would move onto Thursday to play at noon. If the Vikings would fall, they would play at 10 a.m. on Thursday. For a full bracket, click here.