FT. MYERS, Fla. - Northland College baseball opened its season on Sunday against Augustana College (Ill.) in the Gene Cusic Classic.  With a mix of young new talent and experienced veterans, the Jacks looked to coordinate a win however the Vikings came out victorius with a 12-0 final.

Senior Kyle Strom (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville HS) started on the mound and his pitching looked promising in the first two innings.  Strom allowed 0 hits and 0 runs but the Vikings came out strong in the third.  Several errors made by Northland led to a marginal defecit that they could not overcome.  Strom was replaced in the sixth inning by Jacob Smith (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc HS), who finished out the game for the Jacks.

Five different members of the Jacks squad recorded hits but were left on base.

The Jacks return to action against Ohio Northern University in the second game of the Classic on March 2nd.