Submitted photo/Augustana Athletics David Flattery, a former St. Edmond and Iowa Central standout, gets ready to pitch for Augustana during the regular season.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A few days have passed since the Augustana baseball team capped a memorable season by winning the NCAA Div. II World Series national championship in Cary, N.C.

But the feeling of being a “champion” hasn’t even started to sink in for David Flattery or Clay Collison.

The Vikings rode a deep and talented pitching staff to a school-record 52 victories this season, with Flattery and Collison both vital parts of that rotation.

Flattery, a St. Edmond and Iowa Central graduate, came to Augustana as a grad transfer and went 6-2 with 82 strikeouts over 59-plus innings. Collison, an Algona and ICCC grad, also transferred to the school and went 2-1 with 39 punch-outs in 36-plus innings.

“It still hasn’t fully kicked in,” Flattery said. “I’ve had so many people reach out to me the past few days and I am so thankful for everyone.

“I’ve met life-long friends at ICCC, (the University of Nebraska Omaha) and now here at Augie, and I wouldn’t trade them or any of the experiences I’ve had these past five years for the world.”

Flattery battled arm trouble down the stretch, recovering to make a pair of late-May starts that resulted in 10 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts and just four earned runs allowed.

“I can honestly say this was the most rewarding experience of my life,” Flattery said. “I was so lost from a baseball perspective at the end of last year. A mixture of people not believing in me and, more importantly the people who did believe in me, has made me into the player and person I am today.

“Coming to Augie was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Collison made three starts late in the year, including one vs. Southern Arkansas in the regional tournament final. He went four innings, striking out three and allowing just one earned run.

“It’s still very surreal to me,” Collison said. “It hasn’t hit me and I’m not sure how long it will take for it to sink in. It’s just incredible what we accomplished.

“These guys are my brothers and we will always be connected by this season.”

Augustana went a perfect 4-0 at the World Series, entering as the No. 5 seed and besting the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 2 teams along the way. Dating back to the NSIC Tournament, they were 12-1 in the postseason and finished 52-9 overall.

It was the first-ever baseball national championship for the school, which was making a third appearance all-time in the elite field.

“This has already been an incredibly rewarding season, but to cap it off with a national championship is so special,” Collison said. “Especially with how we both ended up at Augie. There have been people that doubted us along the way and there’s no better way to prove people wrong.

“There have also been countless people that have believed in us, and this is for them, too.”

With the season now over and their eligibility exhausted, the next steps for Flattery and Collison will see them both remain at Augustana in different capacities.

“Getting taken in the draft or signing with an MLB team is unlikely at this point,” Flattery said. “I’ve been fighting through some arm injuries and my velocity has been down this past month. I’m heading back home to Fort Dodge for a couple weeks to rest my arm. I’ve heard from some Independent scouts and my hope is to sign at some point this summer.

“I’m also finishing up my Master’s degree this summer and fall online at Augustana.”

For Collison, he will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his father, former Algona head coach Rich Collison.

“I have been wanting to get into coaching for a long time now and I am pretty excited that I will have a chance to stay at Augie and be a volunteer assistant while I work on my Master’s,” Collison said. “I can’t wait to help them defend the title.”

PAIR OF ACES

(Final season stats)

David Flattery

Record: 6-2

Innings: 59

ERA: 2.43

Strikeouts: 82

Walks: 26

Hits allowed: 37

Clay Collison

Record: 2-1

Innings: 36

ERA: 3.96

Strikeouts: 39

Walks: 13

Hits allowed: 31