RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. –The Augustana baseball team opens the 2026 season ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Central Region Preseason Rankings while Ashton Michek was named to the Preseason All-Region Team, announced by the organization Wednesday.

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. 

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.

A senior from Bangor, Wis., Michek was named a D2CCA/Daktronics All-Region Second Team member last season after going 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.

Preseason Central Region Rankings
Rank    School (First Place Votes)    Pts
1    Central Missouri (10)    100
2    Minnesota State    78
3    Pittsburg State    77
4    Arkansas Tech    72
5    Augustana    55
6    Harding    48
7    Central Oklahoma    45
8    Southern Arkansas    31
9    Missouri Southern    23
10    Henderson State    11

Preseason All-Central Region Team
C        Collin Helms, Harding
1B      Tyler Sardelli, Arkansas Tech
2B      Jackson Merovsh, Washburn
SS     Cole Dawson, Arkansas Tech
3B      Logan Lacey, Harding+
OF     Issac Pegors, UMary
          Levi Lampert, Southwest Minnesota State
          Noah Steele, Emporia State
DH    Dagen Brewer, Pitt State
UTL   Louis Magers, Minnesota State
SP    Ashton Michek, Augustana 
         Sam George, Minnesota State
         Will Kates, Northwestern Oklahoma
RP    Braden Cannon, Wayne State
         Brandon Chavez, Fort Hays State

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.