MOLINE, Ill. – The No. 25 ranked Augustana baseball team returns home on Wednesday for a CCIW clash against the No. 23 ranked North Central Cardinals.

The Vikings possess a 16-4 record, 1-0 in conference, and are coming off a 7-1 triumph over the Elmhurst Bluejays on Sunday. Harrison Boushele got the start, earning his fifth win of the season after tossing eight innings, allowing just three hits, and striking out 12 batters. Following his effort, he was named the CCIW Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season. In the second and third innings, Augie scored one run each before surging for three runs in the fourth to grab a 5-0 lead. An Elmhurst run in the bottom of the fourth inning was futile, as the Vikings added two more scores in the sixth inning to win 7-1. Augustana recorded 11 hits in the contest, led by Chase Maifield with three, while Cole Green and Kyle Campbell had two.

North Central has an 11-7 record, 0-3 in the CCIW, with their most recent action resulting in a 12-6 loss to the Wheaton Thunder on Monday, April 3. The conference opponents battled through two scoreless innings before the Thunder erupted for nine runs in the top of the third. With three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, the Cardinals attempted to claw their way back into the game, but Wheaton added three runs in the seventh to stifle the push and take a 12-4 lead. North Central added two late runs but could not close the gap as the Thunder completed the regular season sweep of the Cardinals in Naperville. 

Augustana holds a 91-88 edge over North Central in the all-time series. The most recent meeting between the two programs occurred in the 2022 CCIW Tournament Championship, where the Vikings defeated the Cardinals 10-9 in a 14-inning battle to claim their first conference title since 2016. Augie trailed 6-2 entering the sixth inning before a five-run surge helped them claim their first lead of the game. The advantage was quickly erased as North Central tacked on a run in the bottom side of the inning. Both teams added two scores to force extras, where Augie won 10-9 with a Green solo home run in the 14th inning.

The conference showdown between the ranked rivals begins at 6:00 p.m. from Swanson Stadium. Stream link can be found here.