VIRDEN, Ill. – Augustana baseball continues their non-conference slate away from home with a doubleheader against the Blackburn Beavers on Saturday, February 25 followed by a game against the Simpson Storm on Sunday, February 26 in Jacksonville, Ill.

The Vikings are coming off a three-day trip to Memphis, Tenn., where they participated in the Rhodes Classic. Augie bested host school Rhodes 7-1 on Saturday but fell to Wabash and UW-Eau-Claire on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Starting pitcher Harrison Boushele was lights out in the Vikings' win over the Lynx, going seven innings and striking out 11. He did not allow an earned run or walk, limiting Rhodes to just four hits, which earned him CCIW Pitcher of the Week honors. Augie was effective at the plate, swiftly moving on from their game against Wabash, seeing six players record hits, including two apiece from Cole Green, Kyle Campbell, and Alex Simon. Each of those three players added a run scored as well.

Blackburn enters Saturday's doubleheader with an 0-2 record, dropping their two games to Dubuque and North Central. Neither contest was close, as the Beavers lost by at least 10 points in both games. In their loss to North Central, Blackburn leaped to a two-run start in the first inning before being silenced the rest of the contest. Augustana holds a 3-0 advantage over the Beavers in the all-time series. 

Simpson opens their season on Saturday against St. Norbert. The Storm finished with a 19-20 record last year, finding success at home and at neutral sites with a 16-9 record but struggling on the road, mustering just three wins. Trey Castile and Brady Held are two of the three All-Conference players Simpson is returning. Last year the duo aided Simpson in setting a school record for strikeouts in a season and lowering its team ERA to its lowest mark in eight seasons. In the all-time series, Augustana leads the Storm 2-0. The most recent meeting between the two programs came on May 4, 2022, with the Vikings taking the contest by an 8-6 final. Brett Benedetti went 2-3 from the plate while Campbell and Alec McGinnis each scored a team-high two runs. 

Augie opens the weekend with their doubleheader against Blackburn on Saturday at 11:00 from North Mac High School.