After a 6-3 and a 16-7 loss against the University of Dubuque on Monday, April 28, the Augustana softball team’s record moved to 24-10 and 12-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) games. On April 26, the team faced off against North Park University, their Senior Day, a day when they celebrated their senior athletes, members who had helped the team rise back to the top of the CCIW.
The series against North Park was part of a crucial stretch in their schedule where they played six conference games against Elmhurst University, North Central College, and North Park. With four games left, the Vikings sit in second place, behind Illinois Wesleyan, whom they face on April 30.
Before their series at Elmhurst, the team dropped two games against UW-Platteville at home and was hungry for a bounce-back win. Despite Elmhurst being in last place in the conference, senior Anna Maciejewski understands that the team couldn’t overlook them, especially since they are a conference opponent.
“[The key is] not underestimating them,” Maciejewski said. “Yes, they aren’t doing that great in conference right now, but at the end of the day, Elmhurst has split with teams that we’re surprised that they split with. We have to go at them with everything that we have and not underestimate the team that they are. If we play our best, then we’ll take two games.”
In game one against Elmhurst, sophomore McKensey Stontz went three for four at the plate, and junior Lauren Koster pitched five scoreless innings and two strikeouts to earn the 9-0 win in five innings. In game two, the Vikings continued to roll when First-Year Aubrey Gradin went one for three with three runs batted in. Junior Emma Evans went two for two, which included a triple that brought in a run, in a 11-3 win.
The next day, the team geared up to face the North Central Cardinals, who proved to be a more formidable opponent. Game one saw the Vikings take a 7-0 lead, but the Cardinals scored five runs in the last two innings. But, it was not enough as Augustana took game one. In game two, despite North Central striking first with a 1-0 lead, the Vikings fired back with a three-run inning. After the final out, the Vikings won 7-3, capping off a huge stretch where the team went 4-0 against conference opponents on the road.
“It gives us confidence for the rest of the season,” Stontz said. “We want to win those games, but we also don’t want to underestimate them. [Coach] John always says, ‘Play at our level. Don’t play to the other team’s level,’ and I feel like for those games, it showed like we will play 110% no matter what.”
After those series, the Vikings’ series against Monmouth College got postponed, and the next series against Wartburg College resulted in 11-5 and 11-3 losses, stunning the team momentarily. The team knew that going into the senior day games on April 26, there would be a lot of emotions around the game, especially for senior athletes like Meghan Nixon.
“North Park is going to be an emotional day,” Nixon said. “I think it’ll be an exciting one too. I’m hoping to lay it all out there when I’m given the opportunity with my teammates, and I’m just looking forward to celebrating and being out there with them on that day.”
Game one against North Park was close, but the Vikings defeated North Park 6-4 with the help of Maciejewski, who went three for three with three runs batted in. Game two was not as close as Augustana dominated 12-4, with the help of Stontz, who went three for four with a run batted in.
One of the unique aspects of this Vikings team is the blend of upperclassmen and underclassmen who make an impact. Some of the impressive underclass athletes include the sophomore Stontz, who is hitting .425 with an on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage of 1.051, First-Year Alaina Diaz, who is hitting .414 with an OPS of 1.004 and First-Year Alexis Duke, who is hitting .421 with an OPS of 1.064.
“It’s important to show the rest of the youngsters that if they put in the work that Alaina puts in, all of them can do it,” Head Coach John Nelson said. “I wouldn’t have recruited them if I didn’t think they could. Alaina’s on fire right now, but anybody on our team can do that, and I think just watching Alaina proves it to them.
Down the stretch, the powerful play of the underclassmen and the experience and wisdom of the upperclassmen will be crucial for the team as they head towards the postseason. The team will wrap up its season with a series against Illinois Wesleyan and Grinnell College, before the CCIW Tournament.
