SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - For the fourth year in a row, the No. 9 Augustana baseball team opens up NCAA Tournament play in Warrensburg, Missouri, at the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. Central Missouri is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and is set to host at Crane Stadium at Tompkins Field. The trip to regionals is the sixth-consecutive for the Vikings. 

The Tournament 
The Vikings received the No. 4 seed in the region and will take on fifth-seeded Central Oklahoma on Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. The Mules are set to play Minnesota State, the No. 8 seed, on Thursday at 2 p.m. In the other pod, No. 2 seed Missouri Southern State plays host to No. 3 Arkansas Tech, No. 6 Arkansas-Monticello and No. 7 Harding. The final team standing in each pod will match up in a best-of-3 super regional next weekend. 

Tickets will be available on-site and online at UCMAthletics.com/tickets. Ticket Prices (NOTE: All tickets are PER DAY): Adults: $12 | Visiting Students/Seniors (60 years & older)/Military: $8 | Youth (ages 6-17): $6 

Parking is available in the lot immediately to the north and at the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center to the east of Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. Please refrain from parking in the apartment complex parking lot to the north of Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. In addition, parking is available at the Diamond Club apartment complex lot to the west of Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. Fans who park in Diamond Club Apartments may not leave any trash in the parking lot. Please dispose of your trash appropriately.

You can find full bracket and tournament information HERE.

NCBWA Honors
Jack Hines was honored as the Region Player of the Year to lead a group of four Vikings that earned NCBWA All-Central Region honors, announced Wednesday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Hines and Ashton Michek were named to the NCBWA All-Central Region First Team while Drey Dirksen and Caleb Saari earned second team honors.

NSIC Tournament Rewind
The Vikings enter the NCAA Tournament after cruising to an NSIC Tournament title. AU went 4-0 and outscored opponents 49-18. The Vikings took charge early and often, outscoring teams 39-4 in innings 2 through 5. It is the fourth tournament championship and just the second time the team has won the regular season and tournament championship in the same season in program history. 

Five Vikings made the All-Tournament team as Jack Hines (Tournament MVP, .600 BA, 7 RBI), Caleb Saari (7 IP, 8 K's), Drey Dirksen (2 HR, 1.465 OPS), J.D. Hennen (7 IP, .130 OBA) and Tate Meiners (1.017 OPS, 8 RBI) each earned honors. 

Series History
The Vikings have a mix of recent familiarity and newness in the tournament. Thursday will mark the fifth time in program history and first since 2004 that AU and Central Oklahoma will face off. The teams played three times between 1986-1988, once in 1990 and once in 2004. 

Central Missouri and Augustana have played nine games against each other and eight times since 2018. The Vikings have won the previous three meetings, including wins to advance to the Super Regional in each of the past two seasons. 

One of the Vikings' most common all-time opponents is Minnesota State. The teams have played 107 times total and 18 times in the past three seasons, including matchups in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Augustana has won the previous three meetings, including an 8-3 win in the NSIC Championship game last weekend. 

The Bronchos
Central Oklahoma is 36-14 overall and went 22-11 in the MIAA after going 0-2 in their postseason tournament. John Martin is 280-162-1 in his ninth season as head coach. 

Kaleb Glass has a .355 batting average in 40 games played. He scored 44 runs and stole a team-high 23 bases this season. Carson Carpenter hit .324 in 49 games. Carpenter has a team-high 53 hits, 48 runs scored, 49 RBIs, and 13 home runs. Both were All-MIAA Second Team members. The Brochos are 79th in the country with 7.3 runs per game. 

Valek Cisneros was a First Team All-MIAA selection after leading the conference with 13 saves and striking out 42 in 27 2/3 innings. Brett Pense was on the second team after going 6-4 with 48 strikeouts in 58 2/3  innings. UCO has a team ERA of 4.71, 42nd in the country.

The Mules
Central Missouri is ranked No. 2 nationally and is 47-8 overall and went 29-4 in the MIAA after falling in the MIAA Championship game. Kyle Crookes is 393-131 in his 10th season at the helm. 

Brennen van Breusegen was voted the Player of the Year in the MIAA after hitting .384 with 19 home runs and tallying a 1.281 OPS to pace a monster offense. Chase Heath was one of seven Mules to make the All-MIAA First Team after leading the team with a .389 average and hitting 13 home runs. UCM leads the country with a .357 team batting average and are second with 10.8 runs per game. 

Conner Wolf was the MIAA Pitcher of the Year after touting a 3.86 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while going 11-0 and striking out 77 in 81 2/3 innings. Jake Wilson was on the second team All-MIAA after going 5-0 with a 4.44 ERA. The Mules are 82nd in the country with a 5.48 ERA. 

The Mavericks
Minnesota State is 37-18 overall and went 29-10 in the NSIC on their way to a second place finish at the NSIC Tournament. Matt Magers is 624-206 in 16 seasons at MSU. 

 Ryan Wickman was named to the All-NSIC First Team and is batting .353 on the season with 71 hits, including 17 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs while stealing 23 bases. Also on the first team was Louis Magers, who is hitting .293 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI while also going 3-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 41 2/3 innings. The Mavericks are 10th in the country with 9.4 runs per game. 

Mitch Gutknecht has evolved into a top-line starter for MSU. The lefty struck out 14 in a complete game victory over UMary last weekend on his way to All-Tournament honors. Since being inserted into the rotation, Gutknecht has gone 3-0 with 44 strikeouts and 11 earned runs allowed in 31 1/3 innings (five starts). The Mavericks are 80th in the country with a 5.46 ERA.

The Vikings
Augustana is 45-8 overall and went 32-6 in NSIC play. The Vikings won the NSIC Tournament title and are currently on a 10-game win streak, tied for the longest in the country. The 41 regular season wins is the most in program history. The 0.849 win percentage is the fourth best mark in the country. AU had a program record 18 game win streak earlier this season and are seventh in the country with 9.6 runs per game. Tim Huber is 592-264-1 in 16 seasons as the head coach of the Vikings.

The Arms
NSIC Pitcher of the Year Ashton Michek is 8-2 with a 2.81 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings while allowing a .226 opponent's batting average. He has also racked up a program record 10 pickoffs, breaking a record that he set in 2023.

All-NSIC First Teamer Caleb Saari is 8-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while striking out 78 in 66 1/3 innings. Over his last three starts, Saari is 3-0 with 19 strikeouts in 17 innings while allowing just three runs and 16 hits. 

All-NSIC Second Teamer J.D. Hennen has continued to blossom in his first season of extended work. Hennen is 6-0 with a 3.74 ERA. He ranks eighth in the country with a .94 WHIP and .174 opponent's batting average while totaling 69 strikeouts in 53 innings. Since being reinserted to the rotation, Hennen has gone 4-0 and allowed 15 hits and nine runs while striking out 41 in 32 2/3 innings. 

The pitching staff for Augustana have been dominant, leading the NCAA with 12 shutouts and are first in DII with 11.8 K/9 and 3.45 K/BB rates. They also rank third with a 1.19 WHIP, 7.46 H/9, and ninth in ERA at 3.83.

Opening the season out of the 'pen and cementing a spot in the rotation, Mariano Gomez has been solid. Gomez has a 3.63 ERA and .230 opponents batting average with 73 strikeouts in 52 innings. He earned the victory in the NSIC Championship after going six strong innings. 

The Vikings have seen a lot of production from their freshmen out of the bullpen. Riley Rothschadl is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings while striking out 31. Will Henry has three saves and a 2.66 ERA while turning in a .79 WHIP and .186 opponent batting average while striking out 32 in 20 1/3 innings. Logan Von Berge has turned in six scoreless appearances out of seven. 

Sophomore Ethan Cole has thrown 11 2/3 consecutive scoreless frames while becoming a weapon out of the bullpen. He earned a save in the NSIC Championship and has a 3.62 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. Kai Taylor has allowed runs in three of 12 appearances and holds a 2.40 ERA and .80 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and a .154 opponent batting average in 15 innings. 

The Bats
Jack Hines continues to perform as the best player in the country. Hines is batting .444 with 87 hits, 21 home runs, 87 RBI, 75 runs scored, 171 total bases and an .872 slugging percentage, all ranking in the top 10 nationally. He is the only player in the country in the top 10 of each category. Hines also touts a 1.356 OPS, 16 steals and six triples. 

Drey Dirksen has also been a power source for the offense. He ranks ninth nationally with 20 home runs and 22nd with a .774 slugging percentage. He's hitting .317 and has a 1.239 OPS with 51 RBI and a team-high 13 doubles. He holds a .465 on-base percentage and is 36th in the country with 41 walks. 

Tate Meiners is hitting .344 with a 1.178 OPS to provide extra pop in the order. He has a career-high 13 home runs and has been playing his best ball of late. Over his last 18 games, Meiners has slashed .475/.548/1.033 with nine home runs and 28 RBI to bring the offense to another dimension. 

Jason Axelberg ranks second on the team with a .353 average and is one of six qualified hitters to hold an OPS over 1.000. He has hit seven home runs and scored 35 runs in 49 games. He had two hits in each of the last two games of the NSIC Tournament. 

Max Mosser is third on the team with a .347 batting average (41 for 118) and a .442 on-base percentage. Also having a good senior season is Luke Ballweg, who is hitting .333 and has a 1.089 OPS with eight home runs that rank fourth on the team. Ballweg went 5 for 8 in the NSIC Tournament to help lead the offense. 

Another offensive force in the tournament was Parker Mooney. Mooney went 4 for 8 with two home runs and four RBI, elevating his season average to .314 and an OPS of 1.095.

Joe Kolbeck has provided a spark in 49 games this season, hitting .304 with 30 RBI, 41 runs scored, nine stolen bases, and a .981 OPS. Nick Banowetz is hitting .336 with a team-high 22 stolen bases, And Trevor Winterstein has swiped 19 bases right behind him. 

As a team, AU ranks fourth in the country with a .586 slugging percentage, fourth in home runs with 96, 16th with a .330 batting average, and 21st with a .435 on base percentage.

16 AU hitters have recorded multi-hit games, led by 27 from Hines. He has now recorded a hit in 42 games, and has reached base in 51 of 53 games. 

Hines Breaks Single-Season Home Run and RBI Record
On April 24, Jack Hines homered on the first pitch he saw to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The home run was the 18th of his 2024 season, breaking the program record for single season home runs. He now has 21 on the season, sixth most in the country. On May 3, He recorded his 79th career RBI, claiming that single-season record as well. 

Number 50
On April 13 in the second game of a doubleheader at Winona State, Drey Dirksen broke the program record with his 50th career home run. The home run put him ahead of Nate Baumann's record of 49 that had stood since 2011. For more on Dirksen's record-breaking path, visit HERE.

Dirksen caught fire to elevate the Viking offense, going on a hot streak that helped get him in position to reach the milestone. Dirksen hit .517 (18 for 38) with eight home runs and 17 RBI in over the course of 12 games. The Vikings were 12-0 and averaged 9.2 runs per game over that stretch.