SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The No. 14 Augustana baseball team hosts Southwest Minnesota State for a single game, starting at 5 p.m., on Wednesday. Although they are NSIC foes, the game will go down as a nonconference contest. 

Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play. 

Series History
The Vikings are 65-46 in the all-time series and 33-16 at home against the Mustangs. Their most recent meeting came on March 20th of last year when Trevor Winterstein, Nick Banowetz, Sam Siegel, and Jason Axelberg all collected a pair of hits to lead AU to a 9-3 win.

The Mustangs
SMSU is 14-9 overall and 8-7 in the NSIC following a four-game sweep against Bemidji State last weekend. Jeremy Ische has an overall record of 71-134 and is in his first season as skipper for the Mustangs.

Reigning NSIC Player of the Week Isaac Nett is batting .402 with seven home runs and 28 RBI to lead an offense that features a 2023 All-NSIC first teamer in Chase McDaniel (.406 BA). SMSU scores 7.9 runs per game. Kolby Kiser leads the pitching staff with a 4-1 record, 1.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP and has struck out 42 in 38 2/3 of action. The Mustangs hold a team ERA of 5.06.

The Vikings
Augustana is 17-6 overall and 10-4 in NSIC play after a two-game series against Minnesota Crookston last weekend. The Vikings are 12th in the country with 9.4 runs per game. 

Jack Hines leads the team with 36 hits, 10 home runs, 36 RBI, and 33 runs scored while slashing .429/.490/.869. He's had 12 multi-hit games, 11 multi-RBI games, and is a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases. Max Mosser is second on the team with a .408 batting average (20 for 49) and a .532 on-base percentage. 

Drey Dirksen has slugged six home runs while collecting a .271/.440/.614 slash line. He's drawn a team-high 17 walks and been plunked four times while scoring 23 runs. Jason Axelberg is batting .365 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 21 games and 15 starts, and Luke Ballweg is hitting .340 with a 1.079 OPS and three home runs. Joe Kolbeck has provided a spark in 20 games this season, hitting .353 with 17 RBI, 20 runs scored, six stolen bases, and a 1.122 OPS

As a team, AU ranks 11th in the country in home runs per game with 1.48, 16th with a .523 slugging percentage, 30th with a .431 on base percentage, 36th with 2.13 steals per game, and 52nd with a .312 batting average.

14 AU hitters have recorded multi-hit games, led by 12 from Hines. He has now recorded a hit in 19 of 23 games to open the season. 

Ashton Michek and Caleb Saari have been at the head of a pitching staff that ranks among the nations best. Michek has a 2.67 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings, and Saari holds a 3.55 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 38 innings of action. He has 41 strikeouts and has allowed an opponents batting average of .206. J.D. Hennen has also shined in his first season of extended work, striking out 25 in 18 1/3 innings while allowing an opponents batting average of .239. 

Out of the bullpen, Tom Sun, Aidan Torpey, Logan Von Berge, Will Henry, and Maddox Foss have combined for 18 1/3 innings of two-run ball and 25 strikeouts. Mariano Gomez has a .152 opponents batting average and 31 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings, and Adam Diedrich has four saves in eight appearances. 

As a staff, the Vikings have struck out 227 hitters in 175 2/3 innings. They're third in the country with five shutouts, second with a 11.6 K/9 rate, third with a 3.15 K/BB ratio, ninth with 7.84 H/9 allowed, 11th with a 1.28 WHIP, and 33rd with a 4.51 team ERA.