Coming off a year in which the 26-15 Vikings fell earlier than hoped for in the CCIW tournament, Augustana Softball came back to prove something in the 2025 season opener. In their first matchup of the year against #23 UW-Stevens Point, a team the Vikings hold a 1-3 record against in their previous four matchups, Augustana faced difficulty early.
UW-Stevens Point went unanswered in the first three innings, jumping out to a 3-0 lead off Augustana junior Lauren Koster. The next inning would see four Augustana runners come across to score thanks to a McKensey Stontz RBI double, Alaina Diaz two-run single and a Haley Nelson RBI bunt.
Now, with new life, Koster could go out and only allow one run in the final four innings as the Vikings would tack on three more runs to secure a 7-4 victory over a familiar foe. Following a tremendous season last year that saw her graced with second-team all-conference honors, Koster wanted to ensure she stepped it up this season. To do so, she got to work instantly with Augustana’s head coach, John Nelson, who says her desire to lead and get better will help Augustana push through the season.
“Last year, after our last game, she stepped up and said, ‘Hey, I want to be a leader,’” Nelson said. “She reached out to senior leaders who had graduated to help her develop that skill. She’s done a great job, and I think we have a great group of teammates who are selfless leaders, and I think that’s going to help us get through the season.”
Following their victory, Augustana would go on to win their next three games to close out the Blue Angel Invite in undefeated fashion, setting the tone for the year. Over the weekend the Vikings were able to outscore their opponents 42-16 as well as throw a combined no-hitter in a 15-1 victory over Mount Mary, with First-Year Sienna Ridgely picking up the win, with the combined efforts of Jordan Faust and Mikalyin Hofer.
With the graduation of such a talented and vocal group of seniors, the Vikings needed someone to step up and prove themselves as leaders. According to Koster, they quickly found more than enough leadership.
“Me, Kennedy Williams and Anna Maciejewski have stepped into leadership roles this year,” Koster said. “We also have Marley Behm in center field and Emma Evans at third base. I think both of them have really taken on much larger, more vocal roles this year. And I think that Alaina Diaz, coming in as a freshman catcher, is very vocal, and I’m excited to have her behind the plate.”
As the season progresses, the Vikings will have to make their way to the top in a talented CCIW conference, which saw them ranked fourth in the CCIW preseason coaches’ poll, despite the Vikings finishing second in the conference last year at season’s end. Sophomore McKensey Stontz, a returning second-team all-conference member last year, sees the ranking as a chance for motivation.
“I just want to show that this team is better than everyone thinks,” Stontz said. “We weren’t ranked that well this year, and we lost a lot of great players, but we also gained a lot of good freshmen. I’m just excited to show everybody what we can do as a team.”
With the season still young and with a lot left to be proven, Augustana wanted to ensure that those who had doubted them ahead of the season got the message, and junior Emily Gad is here to help deliver it.
“Watch out,” Gad said. “We’re not here to mess around this year. We’re putting in the work every single day. We’re here to win, and we want to win the CCIW tournament.”
