The Augustana softball team left a snow-covered Sioux Falls for a Las Vegas of dirt infields and warm weather on Feb. 11, for the Desert Stinger Tournament and returned with a 5-0 record, along with a taste of things to come for this season.
"We played great this weekend," freshman Jenny Brown said. "This was my first weekend in college softball, and to start 5-0 shows just how strong our team is. I'm really proud of how we played."
The Vikings' strong record may have been a surprise for some, as they hadn't stepped on the field yet this season, other than fall games.
"Coming from practicing in the gym to playing on the field is a big difference," head coach Gretta Melsted said. "We expected a fair amount of errors, but our fundamentals were strong. The errors were made from being aggressive, which is our nature."
That aggressive nature showed in their bats, as sophomore Chelsey Durland hit .563 in the five games, including one homerun and six runs batted in RBI's. Another hot hitter was sophomore Kelsey Kalkman, who hit .438 with three doubles and five RBI's.
"Chelsey [Durland] and Kelsey [Kalkman] really drove the ball for us this weekend," Melsted said. "They, however, were part of a team who really hit the ball extremely hard. It surprised me just how much power we put on the ball."
The Viking pitchers also demonstrated mid-season form throughout the tournament.
Sophomore Britt Stewart finished the weekend 2-0 with a .081 ERA and gave up only six hits. Sophomore Ashley Meyer, a transfer this season from Iowa Lakes Community College, pitched a 2-0 weekend as well, striking out 12 and giving up only four runs.
"Pitching is a major strength for us this year," Melsted said. "We have a lot of depth, and a lot of hard throwing players. We should be a team that doesn't give up many runs this season."
Despite the success in warm weather, the Vi- kings have returned to Sioux Falls with a taste of game play, and move back into the gym for practices.
"It's kind of disappointing to have to go back to practicing in a gym, but it gives us a chance to work on the fundamentals, something we really focus on," sophomore Witt Murray said.
That focus on fundamentals has produced a culture at Augustana of strong work ethic and a will to improve each day.
"Coach Melsted has told us from the start that she wants us to improve one percent every day we practice," Brown said.
With that goal, the players have made it clear they have a great deal to work on before the sea- son hits conference play.
"We realize this was a great weekend," Murray said. "It was a great start to the season, but we still have a lot to go. You can't rest on the short- term success. We had a goal of the national tournament, and even a national championship.
"With where we are at right now, I think it shows that we are going to be contenders this season," she said.
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