The Augustana baseball team hosted the Augustana Invitational this past weekend, playing against Illinois College and Buena Vista University. After the Vikings defeated the University of Dubuque, they sit at 7-4 and on a three-game winning streak. It has also been very successful at the plate, averaging more than seven runs a game this season.
One of the highlights of the Vikings’ season so far is when they beat Baruch College 30-3 on March 7. Players like Fifth-Year Alec McGinnis saw the team stay calm and relaxed at the plate, which helped them run up the score that game.
“We were very disciplined at the plate during our 30-run game, which I believe was a big factor in our success,” McGinnis said. “We were patient, kept the game simple and didn’t try to do too much when hitting. We didn’t chase bad pitches and swung the bat confidently when they were in the zone.”
The team traveled to Fort Myers, Florida, for the Gene Cusic Classic, where it went 2-1 overall. The Vikings played a great couple of games in Florida and gained experience from different teams that they could use for future games.
“Some key takeaways were we’re seeing glimpses of the team that we can be going forward with the season,” McGinnis said. “We didn’t have the start to the year that we wanted to and struggled a little bit, but going 2-1 and in Fort Myers gives me confidence. We played a range of teams in Fort Myers and took care of business when we needed to but also competed against an excellent team in the game we lost.”
The Vikings also took on a challenge, playing the University of Iowa on March 11. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they lost 16-1, but playing a larger school helps them grow, learn and prepare them more for future games.
“Playing a good team like Iowa helps a lot going forward. We learned a lot about ourselves from that game,” senior Cameron Miller said. “We’re able to compete with some excellent teams; we just need to clean up some mental mistakes that we made late in the game, which we are going to do. Overall, playing on their field and showing them that we can compete was just a cool experience. We also learned a lot from them that we can pick up on and take to carry our game to the next level.”
With so many games and traveling in such a short time, the balance between being an athlete and a student could be a challenge for some players. The players use every chance they can get when they have free time to finish their work while also building team chemistry off the field.
“It’s hard when the season is in full effect to have much time outside of baseball,” sophomore Jaden Weinzierl said. “If we do have any time outside of baseball, then most likely, the guys will get together to do something. It’s a very close-knit team who enjoys being around each other on and off the field.”
The team now looks ahead to hosting the Augustana Invitational. The Vikings are currently 2-0 and are looking forward to the invitational, where they look to have strong, competitive opponents.
“My expectation for the Augie invitational is 3-0,” McGinnis said. “I think with our skill set and the way we’ve been playing recently, we can win out this weekend. We have some tough opponents coming, but being our home opener and back on our field, we’re ready to protect our turf and get three wins this weekend.”
Augustana baseball has not been below .600 in five years, and the team hopes to continue that streak this year. Although the team has had better seasons in the past, it is still off to a strong start and will continue to build momentum as the season approaches conference play.
After beating the Dubuque, the team has to turn around quickly for their next tournament. The team will travel to Winter Haven, Florida, for the RussMatt Invitational and play four games in five days. The Vikings will open up play on March 21 against St. Olaf College.
