BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Augustana baseball team found themselves tabbed second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, released by the conference office on Thursday morning. Ashton Michek was named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season.

The Vikings were narrowly edged out at the top by Minnesota State, earning seven first-place votes and 189 total votes compared to eight first-place votes and 190 total points by the Mavericks. St. Cloud State was picked third with 163 points while Wayne State was fourth (154) and Sioux Falls was fifth (144).

Augustana enters the 2026 season on the heels of a 2025 season that saw them reach the NSIC Championship Game, finishing the season with a 39-16 record. The Vikings will look to bounce back after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 with a crop of younger talent.  

This season, the Vikings return six position players who logged at least 100 at bats last year and seven arms that threw at least 10 innings. They also lost a pair of arms to pro ball, with Ethan Cole getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies and J.D. Hennen signing with the Baltimore Orioles.

"I'm excited to see what this group can do," said head coach Tim Huber. "I'm going to guess people will underestimate our team this year after losing two junior pitchers to MLB and some really talented offensive seniors. Our guys were really disappointed with how last year ended. We probably underperformed last spring and 2026 is a new year with the opportunity to show what Augustana baseball is about."

Huber enters his 18th season at the helm for Augustana and touts a record of 633-282-1. Huber has coached seven MLB draftees and has led the Vikings to eight national tournament appearances, including the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Michek was selected as the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year for 2026. The 2025 D2CCA/Daktronics All-Region Second Team member and 2024 NSIC Pitcher of the Year went 5-2 in NSIC action with a 3.31 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 2025. He has ranked in the top-5 in NSIC ERA the past two seasons and was a consensus All-Region selection in 2024. 

"The expectations are certainly very high for Ashton's final year," said Huber. "He has proven he is one of, if not the best pitchers in the conference and we expect him to have another exceptional year. He has worked exceptionally hard this off-season to take another step forward and I think that will show up for him in the results this spring."

Carter Heinsch was named Augustana's Preseason Player to Watch after bursting onto the scene as a freshman in 2025. He hit .364 in 35 contests with an OPS of .986 while driving in 28 runs and scoring 35. He recorded eight hits in the NSIC Tournament, including a 4 for 5 game against Minnesota State. 

 "Carter started slow as a true freshman last year and then heated up as the season went along," said Huber. "He takes good at bats and his combination of power and speed make him a dangerous threat in a line up. I expect him to mature in his second college season and take more consistent at bats and be a middle of the order guy for us."

Augustana opens its 50-game slate with a four-game neutral site set against Bemidji State Feb. 13-15, with three games counting as conference action. The Vikings hope to open their home schedule February 20-22, hosting Minnesota Duluth for four game before traveling to Mesa, Colorado for a four-game set against Colorado Mesa.. The 2025 NSIC Baseball Tournament takes place May 6-9, hosted by Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls at Ronken Field and the Birdcage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.