GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Central Region Champion Augustana baseball team had four of its team members named to the 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-Region Central Team announced Wednesday. Seth Miller led the way on the first team while Drey Dirksen, Nick Banowetz and Caleb Saari earned second-team honors.
 
Miller, now a member of three all-region teams in 2023, is the Vikings' ace with an 11-1 record on the hill. He owns a 2.96 ERA and is coming off a complete-game performance in the must win game two of the NCAA Super Regional. Miller has tossed 94.1 innings on the season, just three innings short of the single-season record. He has also totaled 92 strikeouts while allowing just 87 hits. The native of Blaine, Minnesota, is Augustana's all-time leader in innings pitched with 241 over his four seasons.
 
Dirksen, hailing from Spicer, Minnesota, is batting .345 with 77 hits, 17 doubles and 16 home runs. The catcher sits just one home run shy of tying Augustana's single-season record while tallying 61 RBI.
 
Banowetz, a right fielder and catcher from Robins, Iowa, owns a .355 average with 81 hits, 12 doubles, three triples and a home run. He ranks second on the squad with 36 stolen bases in 40 attempts.
 
Saari, a product of Moorhead, Minnesota, owns a 2.84 ERA on the pitching mound for AU while striking out 82 batters in 76 innings pitched. He's allowed just 24 earned runs while giving up 62 hits.
 
Augustana opens play at the NCAA Championship site on Sunday at 5 p.m. (CDT) as it faces North Greenville. The Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II version of the College World Series for the second time in program history while storming through the postseason with a 5-1 record after winning the NSIC Regular Season Championship.  
 
The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-America teams will be announced the evening of Friday, June 2 immediately following the Opening Banquet at the 2023 NCAA Div. II World Series in Cary, North Carolina. First Team All-Region selections are eligible for All-America honors.