SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--The Augustana baseball team added nine student-athletes who signed to continue their athletic and academic careers at Augustana on Wednesday.

Ripken Fleck | MIF | Omaha, Neb. | Millard North High School
Huber on Fleck: ​​"Ripken is a great athletic and academic fit for our program, one of several in this class. He is a good runner with a really strong arm. He can play any of the 3 infield spots and also hits from both sides of the plate. He is the typical undersized guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder."

High School: Fleck is a two-year letterwinner and starter at Millard North. He hit .292 in 65 at bats while driving in 11 runs and scoring 12. He hit a home run and a double while helping lead his team to the state tournament.

Personal: Ripken is the son of Toby and Nikki Fleck. While at Augustana, he plans on majoring in exercise science.

Gage Guenther | C | Elkhorn, Neb. | Skutt Catholic High School
Huber on Guenther: ​​"Gage is a really physical guy already and has the type of build to be a big strong guy. He already has a good combination of offensive and defensive skills and his physicality and athleticism for a catcher should put in the mix right away at the college level. There is some pop in the bat and we also really liked his demeanor behind the plate."

High School: Guenther is a three-year letterwinner and starter for Skutt Catholic High School. He has been named to the academic honor roll three times and also helped lead his team to a third place finish at state as a junior. 

Personal: Gage is the son of Brad and Natalie Guenther. He plans on majoring in business. 

Marcus Hankins | C/3B | Omaha, Neb. | Millard North
Huber on Hankins: ​​"Marcus is a great student and fit for us academically and the more I watched him play the more I liked him. Behind the plate he receives the low pitch probably better than any catcher we have recruited. He has a really good transfer and in game action puts the ball on the base regularly. We also had a chance to see him work out at 3B and he looked really solid there as well. We like guys who have position flexibility. As Marcus continues to progress at the plate we could see him moving around the field because he is a pretty athletic guy."

High School: Hankins is a two-year starter and letterwinner at Millard North High School. In his junior season he batted .302 with a .446 OPS and .795 slugging percentage while helping lead his team to the state tournament. 

Personal: Marcus is the son of Morgan and Michelle Hankins. While at Augustana, he plans to major in data science.

Isaac Marek | INF/RHP | Chanhassen, Minn. | Chanhassen High School
Huber on Marek: ​​"Isaac is a good athlete with a good frame and will have a really good chance to stick as a position player and pitcher for us. He is a switch hitter and profiles as a corner guy most likely. He was probably a little under the radar as a pitcher because he had some arms issues but has a lot of upside on the mound. "

High School: Marek is a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for Chanhassen High School. As a junior, Marek went 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA while allowing opposing hitters to hit just .162 in 29 ⅔ innings while earning all-conference honorable mention honors. As a freshman, Marek played on a team that finished third in the state.   

Personal: Isaac is the son of Daniel and Sara Marek. While at Augustana, he plans to major in pre-health sciences. 

Carter McPeak | OF | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East High School
Huber on McPeak: "Carter plays the game hard and is a really good athlete. He has an above average arm in the OF and runs really well. His size and skills are going to jump out immediately.  With a big need in the OF next year, he was a top recruiting target for us in the class.  He is another great fit from both the baseball and academic side of things."  

High School: McPeak is a two-year starter and letterwinner at Lincoln East. As a junior, McPeak slashed .405/.521/.541 with a home run and 13 RBI to help lead Lincoln East to a 32-2 record and a Class A State Championship game. He also stole 10 bases and scored 29 runs. In the summer, McPeak hit .425 over the course of 53 games while scoring 60 runs and driving in 28. 

Personal: Carter is the son of Jeff and Lindsay McPeak. While at Augustana, he is undecided on a major. 

Connor O'Neill | LHP/OF | Omaha, Neb. | Omaha North High School
Huber on O'Neill: ​​"Connor ended up being one of our primary guys to get in this year's class on the mound. Being left-handed and very projectable is a big part of that. He has a great combination of a good frame, being really athletic, and the arm works well.  We can see Connor helping us early in some role because of the breaking balls he has and then turning into an ace type guy as the velo climbs. He also runs really well and will get a shot in the OF as a position guy for us."

High School: O'neill is a four-year letterwinner and starter for Omaha North. As a junior he set the school's record for individual pitching wins while leading the Vikings to a 13-7 record. A season prior, O'neill's Vikings won 16 games, a program record for single-season wins. 

Personal: Connor is the son of David and Emily O'neill. While at Augustana, he plans on majoring in business. 

Darren Safranski | RHP/INF | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Harrisburg High School
Huber on Safranski: ​​"Darren was our first recruit to commit in this class and is a local guy who has been on our radar for a long time.  He has been working really hard to refine things on the mound the past year or two. I like that he is a different look guy with a lower arm slot. That has led to some of his issues with consistency because of how he throws but is really tough to hit when on. We have seen the progress he has already made and expect another big jump the next couple years."

High School: Safranski is a two-year starter and letterwinner at Harrisburg High School. As a junior, he went 2-0 with 28 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. He helped lead the Tigers to a 26-5 record and a state championship game appearance. 

Personal: Darren is the son of Michael and Tricia Safranski. He is undecided on his major. 

Kason Syverson | RHP | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Harrisburg High School
Huber on Syverson: ​​"Kason has grown up connected to Augie baseball. His dad (Erik) is an alum and Kason has been around our program doing camps and fall league since he was a little kid. He is a really hard working guy with a frame to add some weight. He is a really good athlete and has the ability to spin a breaking ball. We see a lot of potential with Kason as he fills out and refines some mechanics.  "

High School: Syverson is a two-year starter and letterwinner for Harrisburg High School. He made a splash in his first year as a starter as a junior, striking out 58 and holding a 2.25 ERA in 52 2/3 innings. He also hit .390 and was named to the 2024 Perfect Game Preseason All-American Team while leading his high school team to a 26-5 record and an appearance in the state championship. 

Personal: Kason is the son of Erik and April Syverson. While at Augustana, he plans on studying pre-med.

Carson Walker | RHP/OF | Lakeville, Minn. | Lakeville South High School
Huber on Walker: ​​"Carson was another top target for us in this class. I think his stuff on the mound will likely be ready to help right away in some role. He has enough velocity, already being able to run it up in the upper 80s and his slider is a really good pitch. He is another great athlete and also plays DB on the FB team.   "

High School: Walker is a two-year starter, letterwinner and senior captain for Lakeville South High School. He hit .411 with three home runs and 19 RBI while striking out 50 and touting a 1.20 ERA in 38 ⅔ innings last season on his way to All-Section and All-Conference honors. 

Personal: Carson is the son of Troy and Christi Walker. While at Augustana, he plans on majoring in business.