SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -  The regular season comes to a close for the No. 12 Augustana baseball team, hosting Minot State for a three game series at Ronken Field. The teams will play a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Friday before a 1 p.m., senior day on Saturday. 

10 seniors will be honored prior to Saturday's contest. Tate Meiners, Maddux Baggs, Max Mosser, Spencer Marenco, Drey Dirksen, Nick Banowetz, Caleb Kranz, Jack Hines, Luke Ballweg and Caleb Saari will take Ronken Field for the final time. 

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.

Northern Sun Standings
The Vikings lead Minnesota State by 2.5 games for first place in the NSIC with three games remaining. The Mavericks have a three game set at Southwest Minnesota State while the Vikings take on the Beavers. The first game of MSU and SMSU is set for noon on Friday afternoon.

Series History
The Vikings are 21-7 all-time against Minot State and 8-1 at home in the series. A season ago, Nick Banowetz went 2 for 3 with a run and RBI to help the Vikings to a 4-3 victory. 

The Beavers
Minot State is 15-31 overall and 12-24 in the NSIC after getting swept by Bemidji State on Wednesday afternoon. Sam Boisner is 44-50 in his second season with the Beavers.

Ricky Apodaca is one of the top hitters in the country, batting .435 with a 1.129 OPS to lead a Beaver offense that scores 6.9 runs a game. 

Jonah Prokott is 4-1 with a 5.47 ERA in 51 innings while Craig Schmich leads the team with 52 2/3 innings for a team that holds an 8.95 team ERA.

The Vikings
Augustana is 38-8 overall and 29-6 in NSIC play after a midweek sweep over Northern State. The 0.826 win percentage is the sixth best mark in the country. AU just wrapped up a program record 18 game win streak and are 18th in the country with 9.2 runs per game. Tim Huber is 585-264-1 in 16 seasons as the head coach of the Vikings.

Caleb Saari threw eight shutout innings and struck out nine against Minnesota State on Monday to earn his third NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors, announced by the conference Tuesday afternoon. 

The Arms
The pitching staff for Augustana have been dominant, leading the NCAA with 12 shutouts,first in DII with 12.1 K/9 and 3.68 K/BB rates. They also rank second with a 1.19 WHIP, third with 7.45 H/9, and 12th in ERA at 3.85.

J.D. Hennen has shined in his first season of extended work, striking out 63 in 46 innings while allowing an opponents batting average of .180 and holding an ERA of 3.52. His .91 WHIP is the fifth best in the country and 5.87 H/9 is eighth. 

In his last three starts, Hennen has gone 20 innings and allowed three runs and eight hits while striking out 27 and walking just two. 

Ashton Michek and Caleb Saari have been at the head of a staff that ranks among the nations best. Michek has a 2.58 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .210 average, and Saari holds a 2.97 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 57 2/3 innings of action. He has 68 strikeouts and has allowed an opponents batting average of .218. 

The have provided the most feared 1-2 punch in league games with Michek leading the conference in strikeouts (63), ranking second in ERA (2.85) and opponents batting average (.199) and Saari ranking first in opponents batting average (.195), second in strikeouts (62) and fourth in ERA (2.89). The pair have five conference wins apiece and have five complete games combined.

Opening the season out of the 'pen and cementing a spot in the rotation, Mariano Gomez has been electric. Gomez has a 2.85 ERA and .219 opponents batting average with 64 strikeouts in 41 innings, and freshman Riley Rothschadl has a 2.74 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. 

True freshman Will Henry has also been impressive in relief, holding a 3.12 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while striking out 28 in 17 1/3 innings. Kai Taylor and Tom Sun have been lethal out of the bullpen as well, combining for 36 strikeouts in 29 innings while Taylor holds an opponents batting average of .152.

The Bats
Jack Hines has been the best offensive player in the country this season, batting 424 with a league-high 1.354 OPS, program record 20 home runs, 74 RBI, and 64 runs scored while adding 13 steals. 

In NSIC action, the numbers get even better. In 33 games against NSIC foes, Hines is hitting .422 with a 1.407 OPS, knocking out 17 of his 20 home runs and driving in 60 of his RBI against the conference. He also has 120 total bases, 14 more than the next highest total. 

Nationally, Hines is tied for first with 20 home runs, third with an .882 slugging percentage, third with 1.61 RBI per game, fourth with 74 RBI and fourth with 150 total bases, and fifth with .43 home runs per game. He is the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 for each statistic. 

Making a claim for All-NSIC consideration is Tate Meiners. In conference games, Meiners is hitting .365 and is third in the league with a 1.229 OPS. In his last 11 games, he's hitting 16 for 33 with 13 runs scored, five home runs and 12 RBI. Meiners is hitting .314 with nine home runs, 34 runs scored, and a 1.102 OPS on the season. 

Also asserting himself atop the league with power numbers is Drey Dirksen. He ranks third in the conference with a .761 slugging percentage (30th nationally), third with a 1.220 OPS, and is second with 16 home runs. In NSIC only games, he ranks fourth with a 1.196 OPS, third with a .759 slugging percentage and 12 home runs. The senior catcher is 25th in the country with .35 home runs per game and 23rd in home runs while slashing .317/.459/.761.

Max Mosser is second on the team with a .358 batting average (34 for 95) and a .460 on-base percentage. Behind them is Luke Ballweg, who is hitting .307 and has a 1.075 OPS and eight home runs that rank fourth on the team. 

Jason Axelberg is batting .333 with five home runs and 30 RBI in 42 games and 25 starts. Joe Kolbeck has provided a spark in 43 games this season, hitting .305 with 30 RBI, 39 runs scored, nine stolen bases, and a .981 OPS. Nick Banowetz is hitting .316 with a team-high 18 stolen bases.

As a team, AU ranks eighth in the country with a .565 slugging percentage, seventh in home runs per game with 1.72, 45th with a .426 on base percentage, and 50th with a .315 batting average.

16 AU hitters have recorded multi-hit games, led by 22 from Hines. He has now recorded a hit in 38 games, and has reached base in 43 of 45 games. 

Hines Breaks Single-Season Home Run 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 19 on the season, second most in the country. 

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.