BURNSVILLE, Minn. – In the NSIC softball preseason coaches' poll, the Augustana Vikings were tabbed to repeat as the league champion for the fourth-straight year. The Vikings picked up 11 of a possible 14 first-place votes to finish ahead of Minnesota Duluth. In addition, Torri Chute, the 2023 NSIC Player of the Year, was picked as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
The Vikings have actually been picked as the preseason favorites for the fifth-consecutive season, but a champion was not awarded in the 2020 season due to the cancellation of the season.
 
Chute will play her final year of eligibility in 2024 after batting a league-best .444 with 72 hits and nine home runs last season. She was an All-America selection by both the NFCA and D2CCA and has been named to the NSIC First team for three years.
 
"Torri has had an amazing career at Augustana," Augustana head coach Gretta Melsted said. "She has started since her freshman year and has been a three-time All-American. She is an elite hitter who has great hand-eye coordination. S
 
"She has been part of many successful teams in her years at Augie, including having been to the National Championship site in 2021. Torri has a love of all sports and is completing her master's degree in Sports Administration and Leadership. Although not a very vocal person in general, Torri has progressively over the years become more of a vocal leader on our team. It has been fun to watch Torri transform from a shy, reserved player to the confident, dominant player that she is today."
 
The NSIC also announced pitchers to watch for each team and that included Augustana's Grace Glanzer. The transfer came to AU after spending the past three seasons at South Dakota State where she earned Summit League Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors.
 
The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native compiled a 52-15 record at SDSU with a 1.86 ERA. She no-hit Oregon State in 2021 and earned the Summit League Pitcher of the Year honor in 2022 with a 21-7 record.
 
"Grace is a dominant pitcher having had a lot of success at the Division I level including being the Summit League Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and an NFCA All-Region pitcher," Melsted said. "She is a grinder who works extremely hard and has a very high softball IQ.
 
"Grace is no stranger to Augustana, having grown up in Sioux Falls. She is very coachable, with an upbeat personality that uplifts everyone around her. She is an amazing pitcher who will make her mark on our program and on the NSIC."
 
Augustana opens its 2024 season at the Mardi Gras Invitational in Youngsville, Louisiana. The Vikings are set to face No. 13 Southern Arkansas and No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist on the season's opening day on Feb. 1, followed by No. 3 Central Oklahoma and Tuskegee on Feb. 2. The invitational concludes with AU facing Southeastern Oklahoma State and No. 24 Mississippi College on Feb. 3.