PEORIA, Ill. -- The Augstana Vikings softball team will head back for the second leg of the Mount Mary Slugger Series on March 2-3, beginning with two games on Thursday against the Edgewood Eagles and Knox Prairie Fire.

Augustana sits at 4-2 on the season after a 3-1 trip the first part of the Slugger Series last week. The Vikings fell to the Stars of Dominican to kick off the event, but have won three straight since then. The Vikings wrapped up their stay with a two wins over Mount Mary and one over Finlandia, winning the three contests by a combined score of 42-1. Nadia Ranieri picked up two wins on the mound last week in Peoria, while Kennedy Williams capped off a successful week with a 5-5 effort at the plate in the team's 20-1 win over Mount Mary on Friday.

On Thursday, Augie will take on the Edgewood Eagles for the second straight year at the Slugger Series. The Eagles currently sit at 1-1 on the season, playing in a pair of one-run games to begin their 2023 campaign. Edgewood defeated UW-Stout 8-7 in their season opener before falling to UW-Stevens Point in their most recent outing by a score of 1-0. Thursday will be third-ever meeting between the two programs, with Augustana winning both of the previous encounters. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 7-4 in Peoria last season, led by Morgan Bielfeldt's two runs batted in. Start time for Thursday's meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m.

The Vikings will close the night against Knox, who currently possess an 0-2 record. The Prairie Fire opened their season last week at the Slugger Series, dropping a pair of games to Mount Mary and Elmhurst. Augustana leads Knox 43-9 in their all-time series, winning the last four meetings dating back to 2014. Start time is scheduled for 10 p.m.

On Friday, Augie will continue action against the UW-Stevens Point Pointers, who sit 2-2 on the season. The Pointers opened the season with an extra-inning loss to Concordia (Wis.) before picking up consecutive wins over Edgewood and Ripon. The team fell in their most recent outing to Marian by a score of 10-5. Augustana is 4-6 all-time against Stevens Point, splitting a pair of games last season at the Slugger Series. The Pointers defeated the Vikings 5-1 before Augie grabbed their second contest with a 12-9 come-from-behind win. Start time is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

The final matchup of the Vikings' trip to Peoria will be against the Loras Duhawks at 2:30 p.m. Loras has yet to play a game this season and will open up their 2023 season on Thursday against UW-Stevens Point and Northland. The Duhawks finished the 2022 season with a 22-10 record. Friday will be the 22nd meeting all-time between the two programs, with Augie leading the series 13-8. The teams last met in 2018, splitting a doubleheader in Rock Island.

Live coverage of Thursday and Friday's games can be found here.