ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Viking baseball (18-5) is set for a busy two-day stretch with a trio of CCIW contests. Augie will start the weekend with a home double-header against Millikin followed by a Saturday road trip to Elmhurst for a single game.
Millikin enters the weekend at 15-11 overall with a 2-5 mark in conference play. The Big Blue have been up and down this season with a 10-game winning streak in early March and a more recent losing streak of six games. In their latest series, Millikin took two of three from North Park including a 10-7 victory in the series finale.
Kyle Gibson leads a quartet of Millikin hitters with batting averages over the .300-mark. Gibson's .352 average tops the club followed by Garrett Fritz at .326, Frank Bryan at .324, and Tanner Coleman at .314. Bryan also leads the Big Blue with 48 total bases, 34 hits, and 23 runs scored. Fritz paces Millikin in slugging with a .500 percentage, 22 RBI, and four home runs.
On the mound, Aaron Agee has been the ace on staff for the Big Blue with team-bests in ERA (2.95), opposing batting average (.205), saves (2), and appearances (14). Caleb Buehrle has notched five wins on the mound, the most on Millikin's team.
Augustana and Millikin share a rich history on the baseball diamond. Since 1940, the Vikings and Big Blue have faced off 182 times with the Vikings leading the series by a 118-64 margin.
On Saturday, the Vikings will travel to Elmhurst to complete the regular season series with the Bluejays. Augustana dominated Elmhurst in the first matchup this season in a 20-7 triumph on Apr. 10.
The Bluejays are currently 8-14 overall with a 1-6 league record. Elmhurst recently embarked on a five-game losing streak including their lopsided loss at Swanson Stadium. The Bluejays are coming off of a key matchup with North Central College.
Trey Romay leads Elmhurst with an impressive .449 batting average and 26 runs scored. Freddie March has been a force at the dish for the Bluejays with team-highs in slugging percentage (.916), hits (32), RBI (35), triples (2), home runs (12), and total bases (76).
Game Coverage vs. Millikin (time listed in CST)
Game Coverage vs. Elmhurst (time listed in CST)
- When: Saturday, Apr. 16, 2:00 P.M.
- Where: Butterfield Park | Elmhurst, Ill.
- Live Stats
