Baseball eyes redemption after title streak snapped
For head coach Tim Huber and the Augustana baseball team, the 2025 season ended in disappointment. The Vikings entered as the three-time defending NSIC regular season champions and reigning NSIC postseason tournament winners. But consecutive losses to Minnesota State in the 2025 NSIC Championship snapped the program’s hold on the conference.
As the 2026 season commences, Augustana was voted second in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll, but Huber and the team share aspirations of reclaiming the top spot.
The 2026 season marks a reset for a program accustomed to setting the standard in the NSIC.
“They’re hungry to get back again,” Huber said. “It’s just figuring out the why and the how and not taking any game for granted.”
Senior and back-to-back NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Ashton Michek will play a key role in Augustana’s redemption effort. In 2025, Michek recorded 72 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.
Huber attributes Michek’s success to his versatility.
“The best thing with [Ashton] is he can pitch,” Huber said. “He throws multiple pitches for strikes… and the velocity has been better than the last couple years.”
Senior infielder and outfielder Joshua Koskie echoed the confidence in Augustana’s pitching staff.
“We’ve got a really good pitching staff,” Koskie said. “I’m excited to see what we can do as the pitchers keep improving and keep dealing. We have a good chance to play for something at the end of the year.”
Along with Michek, sophomore outfielder Carter Heinsch is expected to be a leader in the batter’s box, picked as Augustana’s Preseason Player to Watch. It’s no mystery why the conference has its eyes on Heinsch. In his freshman year, he accumulated 40 hits in 110 at bats, including 28 RBIs, three home runs and a .364 batting average.
“You have to be careful how you pitch to [Carter],” Huber said. “He’s kind of a multi-threat guy. As a second-year guy, he has a lot of skills.”
Heinsch also expects to take on a larger role in the outfield this season after the Vikings graduated two senior outfielders in 2025.
“Trying to step up and take that role on defense has been a big focus of mine coming into my sophomore year,” Heinsch said.
He acknowledged that this season feels different from his freshman year.
“I think we have a chip on our shoulder,” Heinsch said. “Last year we were kind of the team to beat. Now we’re playing as the underdogs.”
While preseason attention has focused on Michek and Heinsch, Augustana has already seen production across the roster. The shining star of the Vikings’ opening weekend against Bemidji State was senior infielder Troy Berg. Augustana secured a four-game sweep, partly thanks to Berg’s performance in the batter’s box. In Game 2, Berg went 5-for-5 with a triple and four doubles, tying an Augustana single-game record.
Despite his impressive outing, Berg emphasized the importance of the team over individual performance.
“I try not to look into that too much,” Berg said. “To me, stats aren’t always a super important thing. At the end of the day, I want to win baseball games.”
Augustana opened conference play on Feb. 14–15 against Minnesota Duluth, completing a four-game sweep to move to 8-0 overall on the year. At the end of the month, the team will travel to Grand Junction, Colo., and then to Springfield, Mo., for non-conference games against Colorado Mesa and Drury.
“Those will be big series from a postseason perspective,” Huber noted.
But the main dates circled on Augustana’s calendar are April 15 and 16, when the Vikings will face off against Minnesota State in a rematch that could shape the conference title race.
Huber had a message for Augustana baseball fans: “This team is hungry and they’ve got something to prove. Our program is really good and really talented and can do what we’ve been capable of for the last several years.”
Heinsch echoed his coach, encouraging fans to “come out to games and come support because this season’s gonna be special.”
