Augustana claiming NSIC titles exemplifies program’s ‘culture’

TL;DR

Augustana secured the NSIC baseball tournament championship with a 6-4 victory over Minnesota State, completing a sweep of both regular season and postseason titles. This achievement marks the third time in the program's history that the Vikings have accomplished this feat.

Key points

Augustana won the NSIC baseball tournament championship.
They defeated Minnesota State 6-4.
This is the third time in program history winning both titles.
More than half of the roster consists of underclassmen.

AugustanaMinnesota StateNSIC baseball tournament

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Augustana won the NSIC baseball tournament championship with a 6-4 win over Minnesota State on Saturday, capping off a sweep of both the regular season and postseason crowns.

The 2025-26 season marks the third time in program history that the Vikings took home both titles.

“I told their guys after we won the regular season this is one of the most probably improbable ones I’ve been part of – the regular season championship, but we’re going to take it,” Huber said.

More than half of the roster is underclassmen, which brought some growing pains throughout the season.

“These guys got some confidence,” Augustana head coach Tim Huber said. “They need that. We’re a fairly young team outside of a couple seniors. And so a lot of these guys really are freshmen from last year that are all sophomores, and there’s a lot of them. They don’t know what this is like, right. So they get into the postseason, and now they got some things rolling.”

Pairing the new-found confidence with the program’s talent and history, a postseason run seemed destined.

“It’s the culture,” tournament MVP Kobe Eikmeier said. “Last year, when I stepped foot on campus for the first time as a freshman, you knew every guy was hungry. I mean, there’s 50 of us on the roster, and you can’t tell who’s going to be the starting guy out there who’s riding the bench.”

Augustana won each of the four games at the tournament and knocked off Minnesota State, the team who ended its season last year, twice by a combined three runs.

“Our focus has been way better,” Huber said. “That’s actually a word I’ve used. Our guys are sick of hearing it this year. But it’s a big thing for us is just find a way to focus, find a way to grind it out. And they’ve done a really good job of it. All credit to them.”

Augustana opens the Central Regional against Northwest Missouri State Thursday evening.

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Q&A

How did Augustana win the NSIC baseball tournament championship?

Augustana won the NSIC baseball tournament championship by defeating Minnesota State 6-4.

What does Augustana's victory in the NSIC tournament signify for the program?

The victory signifies a strong program culture, as it marks the third time in history that Augustana has won both the regular season and tournament titles.

What challenges did Augustana face during the season?

Augustana faced challenges due to having more than half of their roster as underclassmen, which led to some growing pains throughout the season.