CARY, N.C. – It'll be a rematch of the 2018 College World Series as the Augustana baseball team faces Southern New Hampshire for just the third time in program history on Tuesday. First pitch will be at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) from Cary, North Carolina, in the elimination game.
 
Many Viking fans will remember the 2018 run that included a Division II College World Series opening win over SNHU, 5-2, then an 8-2 win as the Penmen worked their way back into the bracket against AU.
 
Coverage from Cary, North Carolina, is presented exclusively by Hub International. Stay tuned to @AugieBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for coverage of the event or tune in at GoAugie.com/2023DIIWorldSeries.
 
Live stats and live video can be found at GoAugie.com/Live or on the GoAugie Fan App presented by The Original Pancake House. Search the app store for GoAugie.
 
About the Penmen
Southern New Hampshire enters the elimination game with a 42-12 record while holding a No. 10 national ranking. The No. 6 seed in the tournament, the Penmen fell to No. 3 seed Angelo State on Sunday, 2-1.
 
A top offensive team in the country, SNHU bats .324 as a team and is led by Nick Schwartz and his .403 average with 12 home runs and 67 RBI. Daniel Rivera bats .375 while tallying 75 hits and a team-best 64 runs scored. It needs to be mentioned that Rivera ranks second in all of DII with 50 stolen bases on the year.
 
Jeffrey Praml, who has been arguably the best pitcher for SNHU in 2023, threw on Sunday, so it is expected the Penmen will turn to one of their other three starters including Frankie Sanchez who is 7-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 14 appearances and six starts. Sanchez pitched the second game of the East Super Regional where he tossed six innings with eight strikeouts and allowed just three hits.  
 
About the Vikings
Augustana holds a 47-20 record in 2023 while sitting with a 12-6 record in neutral-site contests. The Vikings are coming off a 4-1 loss to North Greenville on Sunday, a contest in which they held arguably the nation's top offense at bay for seven full innings.
 
For the season, Jack Hines tops Augustana's batting average with a .356 average while Nick Banowetz and Drey Dirksen are just behind at .351 and .342. Dirksen sits one home run shy of tying the single-season home run record with his 16 long balls on the year while also leading AU with 17 doubles.
 
With All-America honoree Seth Miller tossing Sunday, it is expected the Vikings will turn to Caleb Saari or Caleb Kranz against the Penmen. Saari is a first-team all-region honoree with a 6-4 record and a 2.84 ERA. Kranz is 7-1 with a 4.87 ERA. A third arm that could be in consideration for the start is Ashton Michek and his 4-1 record and 2.88 ERA. Michek garnered the start against Minnesota State in the final game of the three-game super regional.
 
One Last Thing
The winning team of Tuesday's contest will play Wednesday at 5 p.m. (CDT) against the loser of North Greenville and Angelo State. From there, that winner will play Thursday at 5 p.m. (CDT) against the winner of that previously mentioned North Greenville and Angelo State contest.